DEEPINTHEHEARTOF, TX—It seems only yesterday that AVN reported the good news that the Texas Court of Appeals ruled that adult cabarets and strip clubs in Texas would not have to pay the $5 per customer "entry fee" (aka tax) which the Texas legislature had levied in order to fund such societal goods as women's sexual assault programs and health care for the poor.

But no, that was actually two and a half years ago, and since then, the Texas Supreme Court ruled, on August 26 of last year—just 17 months after the case was argued—that no, taxing  clubs that serve liquor (or allow it to be brought in) where nude or semi-nude dancing takes place to fund organizations that have nothing whatever to do with nude dancing is not a violation of the clubs' First Amendment rights. And now, perhaps in part because the Texas high court remanded the case to the district court, the U.S. Supreme Court has refused to review the decision.

"So we're now going back to the Texas trial court under a state constitutional issue which I think is interesting at least—I think it's humorous, actually," said one local attorney familiar with the case. "The law as enacted allocated funds to women's sexual assault programs and indigents' health care. The Texas Constitution, in Article 7 Section 3, provides that any occupation tax—and we contend this is an occupation tax on adult cabarets that have alcohol—if you enact an occupation tax, one-quarter of all revenues from that occupation tax must go to the public schools of Texas; that's in our Constitution. So it's one of those things where they would have to go back and correct it to follow the Constitution, or somehow construe it as not an occupation tax."

Indeed; as far as Texas Comptroller Susan Combs and Attorney General Greg Abbott are concerned, there's nothing content-based about the tax.

"The Comptroller argues that the fee is directed, not at expression in nude dancing, but at the negative secondary effects of nude entertainment, especially in the presence of alcohol — rape, sexual assault, prostitution, disorderly conduct, and a variety of other crimes and social ills — and in this respect is similar to the zoning ordinance the Supreme Court upheld in City of Los Angeles v. Alameda Books, Inc.," the Texas Supreme Court noted.

But even though the Court of Appeals en banc panel, on rehearing, properly rejected that argument, the Texas Supremes decided, based on a Utah Supreme Court ruling in Bushco v. Utah State Tax Commission, as well as sections of the U.S. Supreme Court rulings in both Alameda Books and City of Erie v. Pap's AM—particularly the part where Justice Sandra Day O'Connor pontificated that nude dancing "falls only within the outer ambit of the First Amendment’s protection."

In other words, nude erotic speech isn't as constitutionally cuddly as, say, whatever Newt Gingrich is jabbering about today.

Indeed, the Pap's AM decision claimed that Erie wasn't targeting nude expression—heaven forfend!—but rather the "secondary effects" of that nude expression—even though the city had introduced virtually no evidence that Kandyland, the Pennsylvania club (which had closed during the pendency of the litigation), had caused sexual assaults or decreased property values in the surrounding neighborhood. The Supremes felt, therefore, that "the city must be allowed a reasonable opportunity to experiment with solutions to admittedly serious problems" and "must balance its efforts to address the problem with the requirement that the restriction be no greater than necessary to further the city’s interest."

But though the U.S. Supreme Court's response to Pap's owner's arguments was that putting a g-string and pasties on dancers had only a tiny effect on their expressive message—though interestingly, no one appears to have asked club attendees whether they'd agree with that assessment—imposing a tax on such entertainment on the basis of alleged secondary effects should be a different kettle of fish.

But again, no—and not only was this tax constitutional as far as the Texas Supremes were concerned, it didn't even violate Justice Anthony Kennedy's proscription in Alameda Books that, "[T]he necessary rationale for applying intermediate scrutiny is the promise that zoning ordinances like this one may reduce the costs of secondary effects without substantially reducing speech. For this reason, it does not suffice to say that inconvenience will reduce demand and fewer patrons will lead to fewer secondary effects. This reasoning would as easily justify a content-based tax: Increased prices will reduce demand, and fewer customers will mean fewer secondary effects. But a content-based tax may not be justified in this manner. It is no trick to reduce secondary effects by reducing speech or its audience; but a city may not attack secondary effects indirectly by attacking speech." [Emphasis added]

For the Texas Supreme Court, the reason Justice Kennedy's disapproval of a content-based tax didn't apply to the Texas Entertainment Association (TEA) was because of that ol' devil liquor.

"The court of appeals also concluded that the fee is content-based because it singles out nude dancing, as opposed to all nudity, and, and so 'target[s] a specific class of First Amendment speakers'," Justice Nathan L. Hecht wrote for the court majority. "The court deemed it immaterial that the fee does not apply to nude dancing where alcohol is not consumed, or to other forms of expression involving nudity. We disagree. The fee is not aimed at any expressive content of nude dancing but at the secondary effects of the expression in the presence of alcohol."

Of course, the fee isn't applied to bars that serve alcohol but where no nude dancing is allowed, but then, nobody's proposed such a tax based on the secondary effects of liquor-only businesses.

"Respondents do not deny the existence of such [secondary] effects, which the Supreme Court has repeatedly recognized, or that they are especially associated with alcohol-consumption," the Texas Supreme Court ruled. "Respondents have not challenged the trial court’s finding that the Comptroller 'presented persuasive trial evidence supporting a possible link between the business activity subject to the tax and the secondary effects' associated with sexual abuse. Rather, they argue that the fee does nothing to reduce secondary effects. But logic and the evidence indicate that the fee provides some discouragement to combining nude dancing with alcohol consumption."

And the fact that strip clubs make most of their money from liquor sales rather than entry fees? That's of no consequence, even when "logic and the evidence" somehow fail to note that suppressing liquor sales will have the effect of suppressing expressive speech when the clubs close because they've suddenly become unprofitable!

True, the Texas Supremes rejected a slew of bogus arguments by the Comptroller, including that nude dancing is meant to cause secondary effects, and one from the TEA that "the lack of discussion about reduction of secondary effects during the legislative process shows that such reduction was not the fee’s purpose," but nonetheless, their bottom line was, "The fee in this case is clearly directed, not at expression in nude dancing, but at the secondary effects of nude dancing when alcohol is being consumed. An adult entertainment business can avoid the fee altogether simply by not allowing alcohol to be consumed. For these reasons, we conclude that the fee is not intended to suppress expression in nude dancing."

"If you read the Texas Supreme Court's opinion, you'll see that they treat this tax as you would a public nudity statute or zoning ordinance, and ignore the fact that it's a tax or fee," AVN's attorney source said. "So in terms of the secondary effects question of how does the fee impact secondary effects, that's the big question. It wasn't designed to do it; it was designed to raise money for women's shelters and indigent health, but the state defends it as targeting secondary effects, so the question is, how does this fee or tax impact secondary effects?"

Good question—and one that hopefully will be resolved in the clubs' favor when the district court again hears argument in this case.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Posted Jan 27th, 2012 01:46 PM

CANOGA PARK, Calif.—Free Speech Coalition (FSC), the adult industry trade association, has announced the addition of Cutting Edge Testing, a new testing health center located in Sherman Oaks, to its APHSS program. The center is under the direction of infectious disease specialist Dr. Peter Miao. Former AIM employees Jennifer Mooney and Bobi Seybold are working at the Cutting Edge office as medical support staff.

"We are extremely excited to have Cutting Edge added to our list of providers," said Diane Duke Free Speech Coalition Executive Director. "Dr. Miao is a well known and well respected infectious disease specialist who will provide top notch testing and care for our performers. Those are critical components of our APHSS program."

APHSS.org was created to fill the gap left by the closure of the AIM clinic, and to carry on health and safety protocols for adult productions. The program and availability index were developed by FSC, working with legal and medical experts, industry members and Internet technology consultants.

Cutting Edge will provide the most advanced HIV testing available today (PCR-RT-RNA) as well as Chlamydia and Gonorrhea at a cost of $120 for the performer panel with an estimated 24 hour turnaround time.

"We have missed providing testing and health services to performers. After spending 9 years working at AIM, many of the performers are like family," said Bobi Seybold, Cutting Edge medical support staff. "What is really exciting is the quality of care the performers will get from Dr Miao—he's the best!"

Other APHSS providers include AMTC and the Healing Wave Center. APHSS plans to continue to build on their base of testing and health centers including signing on centers in other cities and states.

"We heard from performers, producers and agents that they want more choices," said Duke. "Quality of care is the first priority and there are a number of quality providers eager to work with our industry. We will continue our efforts to find exceptional partners to join our program resulting in an increased number of choices without decreasing the quality of care."

The importance of signing onto the APHSS system cannot be stressed strongly enough. The adult industry needs to make it clear to the outside world that adult producers, directors and performers take performer health very seriously, and one way to demonstrate that is by using APHSS provider clinics and enrolling in the APHSS availability database, which both serves producers and directors with an up-to-date availability status for performers while protecting performers' medical confidentiality.

Performers, agents and producers can go to www.APHSS.org and click "sign-up" to be led through a simple registration process. Other information that is available at the website includes links to testing facilities, FAQs and contact information. Users are encouraged to view the FAQs on the website; if they have further questions, they can contact FSC.

For more information on APHSS.org or FSC, please contact joanne@freespeechcoalition.com.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Posted Jan 27th, 2012 10:32 AM

MONTREAL—Popular gay performer Austin Wilde, known for his spectacular abs and wild personality, has renewed his exclusive contract with leading gay adult company, Next Door Entertainment.

"Austin has great talent," said Stephan Sirard, president of Next Door Entertainment. "We love working with him because he actually is wild! He puts one hundred percent into everything he does and it truly reflects how deeply he appreciates his fans."

Austin has been a performer since June 2008 and has had his own exclusive membership site, AustinWilde.com, since 2011. Wilde appears on several other Next Door sites, including NextDoorMale.com and NextDoorBuddies.com. He is also continuing to shoot new content regularly for his fans.

"I've been performing for about four years and I've never been as confident as to who I am now. I love my job, I love my fans, and I love traveling for my work," added Wilde. "I'm looking forward to continuing my journey with Next Door Entertainment and seeing what the future will hold."

Austin Wilde will have a contest on his Twitter account throughout the month of February. Twitter users will have the chance to win a free membership to AustinWilde.com by becoming a follower. Next Door Studios will be announcing one new winner every day of the month.

AustinWilde.com is available within the Next Door Buddy Profits affiliate program. For more information, contact ewan@buddyprofits.com.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Posted Jan 27th, 2012 08:20 AM

AUSTIN, Texas—The makers of Fleshlight, the No. 1 selling male sex toy on the market, are developing a specialized case that would attached the Fleshlight to an iPad for a more “interactive” use, Gizmodo reports.

“We’ve covered the Fleshlight and its many permutations both inside and out, so naturally when we hard about a fit this natural we took it on ourselves to figure out if a real version was in the works,” the article reads. To get the scoop, the writers contacted Fleshlight COO Brian Shubin, who had this to say: “It’s another exciting product we have in development at the moment. We are always looking to improve out user experience and this will be a way to take it to another level.”

Shubin didn’t give a timeline for the new case, but speciulation about the so-called “FleshliPad” abound on the internet. Shubin urged fans to check back with Fleshlight.com for updates.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Posted Jan 26th, 2012 06:11 PM

The following press release was received from the Woodhull Sexual Freedom Alliance:

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Woodhull Sexual Freedom Alliance Executive Director Ricci Levy and Policy Advocate Elisabeth Fernandez-Kimmel both offered verbal testimony against District of Columbia Bill 19-567, the Prostitution Free Zone Amendment Act of 2011, at a hearing on January 24, before the D.C. Council Judiciary Committee. 

Also testifying against the bill were the local ACLU, GLAA, DC Trans Coalition, Helping Individual Prostitutes Survive, Best Practices Policy Project, and Human Rights Watch.

The Prostitution Free Zone Amendment Act will affect sex workers, or anyone thought to be a sex worker. You don't have to be guilty of a crime—just thought to be guilty. This new bill builds off the Prostituton Free Zone Act of 2005, which allowed the police to declare any public area a "Prostitution free Zone," for up to 20 days . The new bill proposes to make these zones permanent. 

These policies have done little to eradicate prostitution, succeeding only in further marginalizing sex workers, low income people of color, transgender people, lesbians and gays, and the homeless. This is a violation of D.C.'s own human rights policies and of the U.S. Constitution. Further, we believe that this legislation flies in the face of the United States' commitment to the United Nations with regard to sex worker rights.

Woodhull Sexual Freedom Alliance recently participated in the United Nations Universal Periodic Review (UPR) held in Geneva, Switzerland, where we and our allies were successful in having the United States fully accept Recommendation #86, which called on the U.S. to look into the special vulnerability of sex workers to violence and human rights abuses.

We reminded the District of Columbia Council that the United States fully accepted UPR recommendation #86 and, in the report released to the United Nations, the U.S. stated, "We agree that no one should face violence or discrimination in access to public services based on sexual orientation or their status as a person in prostitution, as recommendation [#86] suggests." 

Recommendation #86 is significant because this is the first time the United States has accepted that sex workers' rights are a different issue from human trafficking victims, and that sex workers' rights are human rights, and we asked each Councilmember to uphold the Constitution of the United States and to refuse to further perpetuate the human rights violations of which D.C. is guilty in the establishment of Prostitution Free Zones by voting against Bill 19-567.

Testimony can be submitted for another two weeks and no final vote has been scheduled. You can still let Washington, D.C. know we want them to vote against this piece of legislation by signing this petition.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Posted Jan 26th, 2012 05:09 PM

SAN FRANCISCO—The Center for Sex and Culture (CSC) sent the following announcement regarding a memorial for legendary adult star John Leslie, who died just over one year ago of an apparent heart attack:

"Porn great John Leslie died last December, and we will gather around the anniversary of his birthday to remember a life that changed erotic imagery as much as any other porn star of the Golden Age or beyond.

"Join John’s longtime colleague Richard Pacheco, his widow Kathleen Nuzzo, and the Center for Sex & Culture community to honor John’s memory. A true renaissance man (of porn and many other creative endeavors), John’s life will be commemorated with film clips and a memory circle starring his friends, colleagues and fans."

There will be no charge to attend the memorial, but donations to CSC will be gratefully accepted! Some refreshments will be provided, but attendees are urged to bring something to share if they are so moved, and to please pass the announcement of the memorial on to others who worked with, cared about or were fans of John.

The memorial will take place at 5:30 pm on Sunday, January 29 at the new headquarters of the Center for Sex & Culture, 1349 Mission Street (near 10th Street) in downtown San Francisco.

For more information, email Dr. Carol Queen.

Articles about Leslie's death can be found here and here. A report of the Leslie Memorial held last year can be found here.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Posted Jan 26th, 2012 01:51 PM

LOS ANGELES—Zero Tolerance Toys announced the release of Crossbones, the revolutionary new vibrating cock ring line that uses our patent pending Cross Bullet System.

Acting as a bulls-eye for clitoral stimulation and penis stimulation, the dual bullet technology is guaranteed to turn any man into an unforgettable lover.

Choose the Crossbones that's perfect for you: The Mighty Marble with its extra '”hit” of anal stimulation or The Pleasure Web.

Coming soon to the collection are The Flame Thrower, The Running Bull and The Diving Dolphin—you can't lose when you enhance your lovemaking with extreme intensity, ensuring satisfaction for both parties. Whether you're an experienced ring user or you've never tried one before, Crossbones is the perfect choice to “up” your game.

Are you a creature of the night with a penchant for the dark side? Try the Crossbones Pleasure Web, a vibrating cock ring shaped like a bad-ass spider’s web. Never mind vampires and werewolves, this seven-function bullet allows for such intense clitoral stimulation or extreme penis stimulation that it will bring both partners to a truly supernatural climax. Add a second bullet to intensify your experience. Dress up your sex life with this must-have accessory and start your own legend.

This multipurpose Crossbones vibrating cock ring not only keeps the wearer harder than granite and brings you Cross Bullet System simultaneous stimulation, but it also comes with a marble extension for anal tickling or clitoral stimulation.

By allowing you to run a bullet across the top of the shaft for clitoral stimulation, or perpendicular against the bottom of the penis for extreme tightening vibration, the Mighty Marble effortlessly brings extreme pleasure and intensity. Then if you're ready for the next level, insert a marble from the Marble Enhancement Set (choose from three sizes) into bottom of sleeve for added pleasure. It includes three to six LR44 batteries (depending on the number of bullets in the package) and comes with Zero Tolerance Toys’ one-year Warranty. All our toys are phthalate free, non-toxic and waterproof.

For more information, visit ZeroToleranceToys.com.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

LAS VEGAS—The law firm representing Eric Johnson, the court-appointed receiver currently overseeing Private Media Group, filed a notice with the Clark County District Court today in the Consipio v Private lawsuit announcing the results of the Private Media Group shareholders meeting held Jan. 11 in Las Vegas, at which time a vote was taken to determine a new Board of Directors that will serve for one year.

“At that meeting,” the notice states, “the Stockholders elected Directors from the two slates of Nominee Directors that had been proposed, both by management and Stockholders. Joseph J. Mugan, Esq., of the firm of Kolesar & Leatham, Chtd., was the Inspector of Elections and submitted a Certificate and Report of Inspector of Elections, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit ‘1’.

“The report sets forth the names of those persons elected as Directors of [Private] for the coming year, whose terms expire at the next Annual Meeting of Stockholders or until his or her successor is elected and qualified. Those persons elected to the Board of Directors of [Private] are Eric Johnson, Ilan Bunimovitz, Anna Maksimova, Michael Martinez, James McCormick and Charles William Prast.”

The results indicate that the entire slate of directors nominated by Consipio Holding BV was elected, and that the slate recommended by the current board—Stefan Gunnarsson, Jan Jensen, Eric Johnson, Berth H Milton, Bo Rodebrant, Lars Ryd—was rejected by the shareholders. The sole name common to both slates is receiver Johnson.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Posted Jan 13th, 2012 12:40 PM

LOS ANGELES—A YouTube video featuring the ruggedly handsome Buck Angel asking fans and the general population to forgo a boycott of Girl Scout cookies called for by a young girl.

The original YouTube video, which is no longer available, the girl asked people to boycott the Girl Scouts and the organization’s annual cookie sale after the group allowed a 7-year-old transgender girl to join a troop in Colorado.

Angel, a female to male transgender and former Girl Scout, recently posted his own YouTube video, and his response is gaining quite a bit of mainstream attention. News outlets such as the Los Angeles Times and Huffington Post have reported on the debate the original video sparked, as well as publishing Angel’s video.

"Support Girl Scouts. They’re amazing,” Angel said in the video. “Thin Mints being my favorite cookies, so please buy as many cookies as you can and help them to really get the message across that it's not about anything other than showing love and respect and learning how to be a good person. That’s what Girl Scouts is about. Thank you."

Angel also noted that while he was born a girl, and accepted into the Girl Scouts as a girl, that everyone knew he was a little boy, but accepted him anyway.

The Girl Scouts of Colorado recently issued a statement on the matter: “If a child identifies as a girl and the child’s family presents her as a girl, Girl Scouts of Colorado welcomes her as a Girl Scout.”

For more information on Buck Angel, visit BuckAngel.com.

For more information on where to buy Girl Scout cookies, visit GirlScoutCookies.org.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Posted Jan 13th, 2012 11:21 AM

CHATSWORTH, Calif.—The 2012 AVN Adult Entertainment Expo (AEE) will offer the public a rare look behind-the-curtain of the adult entertainment industry with the introduction of AVN Virtual, 36 hours of video stream and fan interaction from the Expo, dual-anchored live from the exhibit floor and from a private AVN Virtual Penthouse Studio high above the Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

AVN Hall of Fame inductee Jessica Drake, iconic film star Evan Stone and Mr. Skin—Jim McBride, founder of Mr.Skin.com—will host AVN Virtual, an exclusive internet production that lets online attendees view and participate in the venerable Las Vegas event from the privacy of their own homes.

AVN Virtual ‘s eight-camera, live-streaming coverage begins Friday, January 20 at 1 p.m. PST. In a rare public interview, adult industry visionary Steve Hirsh, founder and co-chairman of the adult entertainment company Vivid Entertainment, will sit down with AVN Virtual beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST on Friday, Jan 20.

An AVN Virtual ticket is $19.99 for a limited time only at avnvirtual.com. A ticket includes access to all video segments viewable live and on-demand. AVN Virtual does not include the AVN Awards Show, whose broadcast rights have belonged to Showtime since 2008.

“Event technology now allows us to expand our unique environment to a worldwide audience that is otherwise unable to attend.” said AVN CEO Theo Sapoutzis. “This social-network-driven setting for virtual attendees, as well as for our exhibitors, is in keeping with our leadership in this industry’s next evolution.”

The 2012 AVN Virtual AEE is being produced by Virtual FanFests, a Chicago-based company that produces fan conventions online within a pay-per-view environment. AVN Virtual will include private, public and moderated chat, downloadable event material, coupons from novelty companies and easy e-commerce links from some of the most popular AEE exhibitors and booth sponsors.

“We are essentially taking an event people want to see and making it possible for them not only to see it, but to interact with it,” said Virtual FanFests co-founder Bob Snyder. “With the breadth of coverage we’ll have from the Expo, sitting privately by a computer and watching hours of exclusive online content becomes an appealing way to take in the event.”

For more information about AVN Virtual, go here.

For more information about the Adult Entertainment Expo 2012, go here.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Posted Jan 12th, 2012 11:16 AM

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif.—Sportsheets’ acclaimed Sex In The Shower line provides foolproof—and bruise-proof—bath-time sex. And now the line will see the addition of some new products.

Expected to ship by February, the new items are the Waterproof Vibrator, Waterproof Vibrating Cock Ring and Blue Silicone Anal Beads.

The Sex In The Shower collection of handles, waterproof toys and other suction-cup sexcessories make it safe and easy for couples to enjoy each other even in the most slippery situations.

Sportsheets unveiled the new items at trade shows earlier this month.

“We are quite proud of the new additions,” said Joanna B. Queenin, executive administrator for Sportsheets. “The Blue Silicone Anal Beads are smaller, so they are great for beginners, and we took the extra step to polish them down so there is virtually no seam.

“The Waterproof Vibrator comes in pink and blue and silky soft to the touch,” she continued.

The vibe measures 4 inches and offers two speeds, controlled by a simple push-button control at the base. A textured design runs top to bottom on the piece, which is made from phthalate-free ABS plastic.

The Waterproof Vibrating Cock Ring is super stretchy, and has differet sized textured nubs on either side of the silicone casing that holds the one-speed bullet.

“And the bullet is very powerful, so he will get a lot of stimulation,” Queenin said.

The new items will be available for shipment by February, she added.

For more information, visit SexInTheShower.net.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Posted Jan 11th, 2012 04:07 PM

BRISTOL, Pa.—Crossover distributor and manufacturer XGen Products has added yet another line designed to deliver what retailers are looking for. Revealed this month, Lapdance is a sophisticated collection of clubwear, hosiery, and bodystockings, which promises a varied selection, great pricing, and attractive packaging. 

From sexy mini dresses to elegant stockings, Lapdance is sure to appeal to a range of consumer tastes. Boasting nearly 30 styles, most of which are available in plus size, the comprehensive collection is designed to sell. 

To that end, XGen is preparing a host of point-of-purchase merchandising to make the retail presentation as attractive as the apparel. 

“Top to bottom, this line is all about quality and visual appeal,” explained Andy Green, vice president of XGen. “The garments are well constructed, the packaging is beautiful, and the available POP materials will absolutely seal the deal. Our customers simply cannot go wrong here.”

Lapdance is the latest in XGen’s arsenal of sexy products and fashion accessories, including Eye Candy nails and lashes, Pleasure Wigs and Body Armor sleeves.

XGen will exclusively distribute the Lapdance collection. Interested retailers are urged to contact their XGen rep, or visit XGenProducts.com for more information.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

PHILADELPHIA, PA—At 9 o'clock this morning, the three-judge panel of the Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, before beginning consideration of the appeal in Free Speech Coalition, et al v. Holder, made what observers described as an unusual announcement.

"Don't worry about the time," said Judge Marjorie A. Rendell. "We'll give you all you need to make your case."

She wasn't kidding. The schedule, which had allotted approximately 15 minutes for First Amendment attorney J. Michael Murray to argue for reversing the dismissal of FSC's lawsuit to have 18 U.S.C. §2257, the federal recordkeeping and labeling law, declared unconstitutional, and gave a similar period for Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne M. Murphy to oppose that action, was extended by at least ten minutes for each side—to the point that during the middle of Murray's presentation, when the light on the podium turned red, usually signaling that the attorney's time to speak was up, one of the judges instructed the court clerk to turn it green again.

To anyone familiar with the appellate court system, that was considered a good sign.

"Both sides took far, far more time than was allotted," observed Reed Lee, a constitutional expert and Free Speech Board member. "I think the oral argument clearly shows that the panel is engaged with the challenge, and the challenges that have been made. That is, they plainly came prepared; they understand the thrust of many of the challenges and they took the time that they believed was required to study a challenge to federal statutes that has some gravity. I mean, they plainly thought it was worth taking an unusual amount of time in oral argument to assess the challenge."

Still, it was hard to get that impression initially, when the first question out of Judge D. Brooks Smith's mouth was whether Murray still intended to press the claims—mostly First Amendment issues and whether 2257 could be considered a prior restraint on speech—contained at the end of his appellate brief?

Judge Smith, a George W. Bush appointee, it will be remembered, presided over the panel that overturned District Court Judge Gary Lancaster's dismissal of the obscenity indictments against Rob Black, Lizzy Borden and their company, Extreme Associates.

But no, Murray replied, those claims were still important to the case, though he would not focus on them during the argument.

What Murray would focus on, however, was the appellants' claim that Judge Michael Baylson (another Bush appointee) was premature in dismissing FSC's complaint at the district court level, since there were a variety of issues that couldn't be hashed out entirely through legal arguments, but required the making of a trial record, such as the fact the real problems exist that affect real people in trying to comply with the substantially-flawed law. Murray analogized FSC's complaint to the lawsuit several years ago over whether the Playboy Channel's cable signal "bled" over to other cable channels, and therefore should be required to be heavily scrambled or otherwise blocked during hours when children would be likely to be watching cable TV. Murray noted that without testimony from experts that the "signal bleed" was essentially a non-existent problem, the court would have been trying to decide the case in a factual vacuum.

When Judge Anthony Joseph Scirica pressed Murray regarding what evidence he would adduce at trial, Murray first responded that he would want to show the effects that 2257 has on private individuals who take sexually explicit photos in their own home and may possibly post them on the internet in order to meet like-minded couples—all of which activity would require them to keep 2257 records and be available at least 20 hours per week in case FBI inspectors wanted to look at the records—an observation that later led to a long discussion about the warrantless searches that are authorized under 2257.

When Judge Smith pressed him to quantify the reach of the statute, Murray noted that there were approximately 13 million people posting to AdultfriendFinder.com, a swingers' site, the vast majority of whom would be affected by 2257—and that AdultFriendFinder was just one of several such similar sites. In his response, Murray was also able to comment on the overbreadth (or at least over-inclusiveness) of the law, since it sweeps in vastly more protected speech (adults making sexually explicit content for adults) than it does unprotected speech like child pornography, and that therefore, 2257 should be struck down at least for its lack of narrow tailoring, a requirement for most laws that affect First Amendment-protected content.

The judges—notably Judge Rendell—seemed to well understand that child pornographers don't keep 2257 records, since they would be automatically incriminating, or would fake them, but Murray went even further, noting that 2257 was "designed" to affect protected speech like adult porn, by both steering producers to choose performers who didn't look young, and by implicitly suggesting that they choose to make content that didn't imply that younger performers were involved.

Murray also pointed out that thanks to 2257A, mainstream producers didn't have to worry about such youth-oriented considerations, since all they had to do was file a letter with the Attorney General noting that they keep certain standard records on their performers, thus exempting them from both FBI inspections and 2257 notices on their DVD boxes. Murray noted that many adult producers keep exactly the same records on their actors, but that the 2257A exemption was not available to them—a fact which Murray said was discriminatory. Indeed, Judge Rendell seemed to agree, noting that adult producers are already highly regulated, and seemed to opine that 2257A should be available to them as well.

Judge Scirica then inquired as to why the "explanatory" discussion in the Federal Register that precedes publication of the statute doesn't limit the law itself? Murray noted that that discussion was not incorporated into either the law itself nor the regulations promulgated by the Justice Department as guidelines on how to follow the law. He compared it to the law which prohibited the sale of dog-fighting videos, which the Supreme Court struck down in U.S. v. Stevens. Normally, judges are required to interpret any law passed by Congress in ways that would make it constitutional, but Murray observed that in the Stevens case, even the Supreme Court found that to be an impossible task, and so struck down the law. He liked that law to 2257, and noted that the high court did not believe the Justice Department's representations that it could be trusted to "do the right thing" in interpreting that law—just as the Justice Department has repeatedly argued that it could be trusted not to bust amateur explicit content producers like swingers. Murray said that in fact, there is no way to tell what content the government would exempt if left on its own—and that in any case, administrations change and future attorneys general might easily differ from the current regime on how to enforce 2257.

But when Judge Scirica asked why the Third Circuit shouldn't apply the same "remedy" that the Sixth Circuit had recommended in the Connection Distributing case when it upheld the 2257 statute, Murray was able to articulate one of the main issues the appellants have with the 2257 law: It shifts the burden from the prosecution, which normally would have to prove that minors were used in the creation of the content, over to the defense, which would then be forced to prove that no minors were used. This question also sparked the discussion of the Fourth Amendment implications of 2257's authorization of inspectors to enter the premises where the content was produced—which in the case of swingers would be their own homes—without a judge having signed a warrant attesting to the inspectors' "probable cause" for the search.

Later, when the issue of third-party recordkeepers was brought up by Judge Scirica, Murray noted that many couples who make their own sexually explicit content might not want third parties to see it, since the law would require the third party recordkeeper to attach a copy of the work in question to the 2257 identification documents. Moreover, he asserted that adult producers have always kept identification documents on their performers for various purposes (including to avoid charges of child pornography), but until 2257, the producers didn't face prison time if those documents were not kept in exactly the right order.

Murray's argument ended with his response to Judge Scirica's question of whether the overbreadth of the statute wasn't simply a legal question rather than a factual one? Murray suggested that the appellate court could indeed find on its own that the statute was overbroad, but failing that, the appellants would need to develop a factual record documenting the statute's overbreadth—exactly the record the trial court had denied them through its summary judgment dismissal.

When it came Murphy's turn at the rostrum, she immediately asserted that Judge Baylson's order dismissing the lawsuit was procedurally correct, saying that previous cases—most notably the American Library Association case from the early '90s as well as the 2009 Connections Distributing Sixth Circuit en banc dismissal had established the government's interest in preventing adult content producers from using minors.

But when Judge Rendell asked how 2257 impacts child pornography, the best Murphy could do was refer to the Meese Commission's finding that young-looking performers could be minors, and that the 2257 records help in establishing the adulthood of such performers.

But, Judge Rendell pressed, does being forced to keep such records stop child pornography? No, Murphy admitted, though it's unclear whether Murphy agreed that adult content producers are not child pornographers, again harking back to the Meese Commission's findings.

But when Judge Rendell suggested that having 2257 records "aids in the prosecution" of child pornographers—in a sense, a trick question which would lend credence to the appellants' burden-shifting argument—Murphy disagreed, saying the statute was more intended to make sure children weren't used in adult productions, and that the "ability to track" identification documents would help to keep the adult industry from using minors in sexually explicit content. She noted that the statute wasn't directed at 10-year-olds or babies; just to adults who looked as if they might possibly be children.

But with Murray's arguments apparently in mind, Judge Rendell then asked how the effective reach of 2257 could not be assumed to be less that the statute itself says? Murphy tried to answer that the statute only applied to commercial speech, but Judge Smith asked where she could find that limitation in the statute? The correct answer is, it's not there, though it is in the "explanatory" discussion—which, legally, doesn't count, but Murphy continued to assert that the statute could be read so as to be constitutional. She also asserted that explicit images created by couples that never leave their home would not be targeted, but when Judge Scirica pointed out that the definition of "performer" in the law is not limited, Murphy argued that if this was of concern, the court should affirm the statute and wait to see how such couples would actually be affected by the law, and then deal with the "as-applied" challenges such people would file. This brought a big laugh from the several legally-knowledgeable spectators, and caused Judges Rendell and Smith to exclaim, "Really?"

Murphy continued to insist that Congress had the adult industry in mind when it passed the statute, but when Judge Rendell asked how law enforcement would handle searches of private couples who had taken explicit photos or videos of themselves, noting that it would be those people's homes that would be searched, Murphy responded that that would be a valid administrative search. But when pressed by the judge as to why such a search had to be warrantless, Murphy claimed that the purpose was to make sure people kept the records in the first place, and that some burdens on speech are "unavoidable."

Judge Scirica then came at the issue from the other direction, asking why Judge Baylson's dismissal of the lawsuit didn't require that a factual record be made of the claims? Murphy argued that the statute had been in effect for over 20 years (though she didn't mention that not a single inspection had occurred until more than 15 years after the statute's passage) and that the court should not take it upon itself to invalidate an act of Congress—and that in any case, as-applied challenges would limit the statute's reach. She asserted that taking discovery in the case  would be difficult and that she was "not running away" from discovery but that there was simply no basis upon which to do it.

The final question came from Judge Smith, who asked if a person who was obviously an adult and who made an explicit video of just him- or herself and posted it on the internet would be subject to the requirements of 2257? Murphy responded that if the video contained "lascivious exhibition of the genitals" and not simple nudity, that yes, the person would be required to keep the 2257 records because once the video was on the internet, "It's out there."

Finally, it was Murray's turn to give a short rebuttal, during which he pointed out some of the differences between the Connection Distributing case and the FSC lawsuit, that warrantless searches of 2257 records aren't needed because, essentially, the records aren't going anywhere, and he reiterated that 2257 doesn't apply just to commercial speech—but the panel gave him just the three minutes he asked for, apparently because they felt the issues had been well-argued already.

However, one more hopeful sign emerged at the end of the argument, when the judges specifically asked the court reporter to prepare a transcript of the proceedings to help them reach a decision—a sign, one observer said, that the judges were taking the case very seriously and wanted their decision to reflect that thoroughness.

"I think most attorneys who are familiar with the process will tell you that oral arguments don't usually go this way," Lee commented afterwards, "and that the government usually gets considerably more deference than was shown here, and that the judges don't seem as obviously troubled about features of a federal statute, so I think those are things worth exploring.

"I think when the transcript comes out, people will be able to read how the argument went," he continued. "People can study the briefs of the case. I think the surprising thing about the argument was that the judges were plainly engaged enough that they readily granted both sides an unusual amount of time to spend on the case. Federal judges are usually prepared, they usually know the issues, and these judges were that, but they seemed engaged enough to want the parties' responses to their questions anyway."

It is unknown when the panel will issue its decision, which will probably come before the end of the year—but in the meantime, it appears that as long as this case is still before the courts, 2257 inspections will continue to be halted, and no prosecutions brought. But if the lawsuit is dismissed, the industry had better buy plenty of umbrellas for the shitstorm that will surely follow.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Posted Jan 11th, 2012 02:38 PM

CHATSWORTH, Calif.—For the first time in its 29-year history, the AVN Awards ceremony will culminate this year in the presentation of an all-encompassing grand accolade dubbed Movie of the Year.

Contenders for the Movie of the Year award will not be predetermined by committee the way nominees in other categories traditionally are; rather, they will consist of the winners in the following 10 top races: Best All-Sex Release, Best All-Sex Release – Mixed Format, Best All-Girl Release, Best Gonzo Release, Best Vignette Release, Best Comedy, Best Feature, Best Foreign Feature, Best Parody – Comedy and Best Parody – Drama.

In kind, voting for Movie of the Year will not be conducted until just prior to the January 21 ceremony, and will take place in a secret meeting among only the core members of the AVN Awards committee, so as to maintain the highest level of confidentiality possible concerning the winners of these major honors.

"I am very excited that we've decided to create the Movie of the Year award," AVN senior editor Peter Warren said. "Even since the beginning, when we presented separate awards for Best Film and Best Video Feature, there's been no definitive AVN Award equivalent to Best Picture. Now we have one."

The notion to institute Movie of the Year arose during the weeks-long AVN Awards nominations process this fall, when it dawned on committe members that such an overall best-of-the-best prize was the one thing glaringly missing from the vast array of awards cateogories.

"We knew, however, that we couldn't nominate just any title for the award, because what kind of sense would it make if a title was nominated for Movie of the Year but didn't even win in its respective category? So we came up with this method of determining what would be in the running," Warren explained. "I think this is going to set off a big stir in the industry and make for the most exciting AVN Awards Show we've ever seen."

The 2012 AVN Awards takes place Jan. 21, 2012 at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, with Dave Attell co-hosting alongside Bree Olson and Sunny Leone.

For more information on the AVN Awards, and for tickets, visit AVNAwards.com.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Posted Jan 03rd, 2012 10:38 AM

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif.—Sportsheets’ acclaimed Sex In The Shower was featured in the latest issue of Esquire magazine as a solution for foolproof—and bruise-proof—bath-time sex. The collection of handles, waterproof toys and other suction-cup sexcessories makes it safe and easy for couples to enjoy each other in even the most slippery situations.

An Esquire reader wrote to the Sex Q&A column asking for tips, tricks and advice for having sex in the shower without risk of injury, and Sportsheets President Tom Stewart was called to save the day.

“The sexually wise will tell you that cold, hard, wet locations like showers, pools, and Buffalo (New York) are about the worst places to have sex,” columnist Stacey Brenrock wrote. “However, if you or your partner must have sex in the shower for religious reasons, I suggest you log on to sexintheshower.net. The site has a lot of innovative shower-sex aides.”

Stewart suggests Sex In the Shower handles that suction to any surface, as well as the shower step and foam knee pads to give the body a well-deserved cushion. Without these water-safe sex aides, positioning in even the most basic sex moves can prove painful—especially during prolonged action.

“These suction-cup handles, you can put them anywhere,” Stewart said. “It gives you something to hang on to. And the shower step that we’ve got is a lot more versatile than the corner of your bathtub. We’ve got foam kneepads that will absolutely save your life.”

This kind of mainstream media exposure proves that sex outside the bedroom is more than just a trend for kinky couples, and tools like those from Sex In the Shower make it easy, fun and safe to see how an ordinary shower can change your sex life forever.

Sportsheets is up for Best Sex Toy Company – Large, Best Fetish Product, Best Sex Toy for Couples, and Best Packaging at the upcoming 2012 AVN Awards. The event is set for Jan. 21, 2012, inLas Vegasat The Hard Rock Hotel’s The Joint nightclub. Hosted by adult starlets Bree Olsen and Sunny Leone, it’ll be a night of glamour, glitter and a whole lot of sex toys.

For more information about Sportsheets, visit Sportsheets.com, email info@sportsheets.com, or call (800) 962-4606.

For more information about Sex In The Shower, visit SexInTheShower.net, email info@sportsheets.com, or call (800) 962-4606.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

LOS ANGELES—As AVN readers will recall, just two weeks ago, the "Opinion staff" of the Los Angeles Times asked readers for their views on whether requiring adult performers to wear condoms during sex scenes was a good idea. The writers made several good points, including the fact that just verifying the signatures on AIDS Healthcare Foundation's (AHF) original petition would cost the city $372,000, while actually putting the initiative on the June 5 presidential primary ballot would cost $4.4 million—though an "update" to that article quotes AHF's Associate Director of Communications Lori Yeghiayan as claiming that the cost would be a mere $700,000, and that "the $4.4 million figure is an estimate for total city and county costs." It's unclear from the Times article whether Yeghiayan has pulled that $700K figure from anywhere other than her own ass.

Funny thing, though: Just tomorrow, AHF will begin its petition drive to put a similar measure on the Los Angeles County ballot—and that $4.4 million is back! Only this time, the initiative would have Los Angeles County require producers to "obtain a public health permit from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and pay a permit fee" for enforcement—which, just like the LA city initiative, AHF clearly hopes will be paid to them, because to whom else would the city (or county) look to become Los Angeles' "condom police"?

And of course, none of those costs take into account the fact that adult industry attorneys will undoubtedly file lawsuits similar to the one filed in early December by LA City Attorney Carmen Trutanich, so it's likely that the costs to the city will easily exceed both estimates by several million dollars.

But nevermind: The Times has made its editorial decision—not that there was much doubt what that would be, given the articles and opinion pieces it's run over the past couple of years—despite the fact that of the 11 commenters to its original solicitation, only one, from someone attending "Midway Hihg skuul San degio," supported mandatory condoms.

Of particular interest is the fact that the Times justifies its position by noting that while Trutanich's lawsuit says the proposed ordinance "would be vulnerable in court because the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health already regulates workplace safety—and already has a regulation in place requiring the use of condoms on adult film locations," the Times claims that CalOSHA's own attorney says that wouldn't be a problem because his agency's jurisdiction "is limited to employer-employee relationships," and that "Film performers are generally contract workers, not employees."

If that's the case, though—as the entire industry has maintained it is throughout this controversy—then why did CalOSHA chief inspector Deborah Gold hold 18 months' worth of public meetings on AHF's petition to change the health code to require that adult performers use "barrier protections" like condoms, dental dams, goggles and face shields? And how many taxpayer dollars (and time and personnel) did they devote to that apparently pointless exercise, if CalOSHA doesn't have jurisdiction over adult performers to begin with? Or is it possible that CalOSHA's left hand doesn't have one fucking idea what its right hand is doing?

The Times' editorial places at least some of the "blame" for the lack of a mandatory "barrier protection" law on Sacramento, opining that "it would be preferable to see such a law adopted by the Legislature."

"Local rule-making simply encourages businesses—including porn moviemakers—to pull up stakes and move to adjacent cities, taking their permit fees and business taxes with them," the editorial states. "That seems likely to be the case here, as locations abound on the periphery of Los Angeles." (Yup, got that right!)

"But sometimes cities must take the lead, even in workplace safety regulation, because Sacramento may lack the will or interest to protect workers," the editorial continues, comparing forcing STD-tested actors to wear condoms to the city's several-years-old ban on smoking in restaurants and other public places.

Of course, that sort of logic ignores one crucial detail: Smoking isn't a First Amendment-related activity; making movies is—and requiring condoms (and inevitably dental dams, goggles and face shields) to be used in every sex scene changes the erotic message of the performance so radically that in the end, even Hollywood, with its plethora of fake sex scenes, will be delivering more highly erotic product than the adult industry.

But no; now that AHF's initiative has qualified for the ballot, forced condom use "is a question that should be answered by the voters. The right to petition and vote is paramount." Because after all, who has more expertise in determining the efficacy of frequent STD testing and the lack of any HIV transmission on a (hetero) California porn set since 2004 versus the First Amendment implications of forced condom use than Joe Six-Pack?

"The city attorney should drop his suit," the Times editorial concludes, "the City Council should do what it must to secure a spot on the June ballot, and opponents can make their arguments against a local condom requirement for film permits in the accustomed time and place—during the campaign."

Because after all, even if AHF's initiative is completely unconstitutional, why shouldn't the adult industry be forced to spend untold tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars mounting radio, TV and newspaper ads—perhaps some in the LA Times itself—not to mention renting billboard space all over the city, to defend its right to create an erotic message that should never have been challenged in the first place?

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

INDIA—The irrepressible Sunny Leone was shown the Bigg Boss door on New Year’s Eve, but during her roughly six-week stay on the popular Big Brother-like Indian reality show, which broadcast daily, the Indo-Canadian Vivid Girl and upcoming AVN Awards co-host not only revealed herself to be a contestant of uncommon composure, but she also attracted the interest of a well-known Bollywood filmmaker.

Mahesh Bhatt ended up offering her the lead in Jism 2, a long-awaited sequel the 2003 erotic thriller, Jism, both of which share the same producer, Bhatt's daughter, Pooja. The elder Bhatt actually traveled earlier this month to the Bigg Boss house—located in Karjat, a town about halfway between Mumbai and Pune in the Indian state of Maharashtra—to meet face-to-face with Leone.

"Our first meeting was successful,” said the director. “She was very happy when I offered her the movie. Now the discussions will take place between Pooja (Bhatt) and Sunny's agent about the further details. I hope that everything works out and she will soon start shooting.”

In May, Bollywood.com reported that Pooja was on a mission to find the "ultimate woman" for Jism 2.

"I want to find a woman who's confident, not just in body, but in her mind and spirit, too,” she said. “That's the kind of person I am looking for to act in Jism 2. She needs to be demanding, intelligent, stunningly sensual and beautiful. Perhaps too much to ask from the typical Bollywood actor."

The original Jism starred Indian actress Bipasha Basu and John Abraham, a former model making his big screen debut. Basu and Abraham were also a real-life couple who broke up in early 2011, ending speculation that they might appear in the sequel.

On the Jism 2 website, Sunny is officially attached but costars and a director have yet to be announced, though Mahesh Bhatt said in early December that a decision on who to cast as the male lead would have to wait until after Sunny was out of the Bigg Boss house.

That took place a week earlier than hoped for by Sunny, who told the Times of India her eviction a week before the show’s January 7 conclusion was “bittersweet. Bitter because I couldn't make it to the finale as a contestant, and sweet because in the New Year, I'm going to be on the outside with friends and family and as part of normal life!”

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

MADRID, Spain—In only its second cabinet meeting after taking power Dec. 22, Spain's brand new right-leaning government has green-lit a law intended to deal a severe blow to digital piracy by allowing the courts to close or block websites accused of profiting from the illegal downloading of copyrighted content. Spain is reportedly responsible for 20 percent of the global illegal downloads of the top 10 films from 2010, and the embrace of this new law is intended to signal a dramatic change of heart for a country accused of having a "horrendous" track-record enforcing copyright.

"Spanish courts have repeatedly ruled against the entertainment industry arguing webpages don't offer copyrighted content, but links to connect to servers located in countries immune to Western legislation," stated Billboard.biz earlier this month. "Furthermore, these indexing pages—as they are commonly known—also serve for legal exchanges, and judges have ruled freedom of expression trumps others considerations."

The so-called Sinde Law—named after outgoing Culture Minister Ángeles González-Sinde—was actually passed by the Spanish Parliament in February, but former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero's Socialist government failed to enact the specific regulations that would inform it and it was never implemented.

Zapatero took the blame, stating, "In view of the debate, it was my decision. There were some cabinet ministers, as well as an uproar taking place on the web, that put into question approval [of the antipiracy rules] by a caretaker government, even if the [government-elect] had been told."

The new center-right government wasted no time in enacting the law, however, passing it Friday evening after having been in office for less than a week. The law, which, according to news reports, gives websites "ten days to close down their sites after a government committee identifies reports of violations and gains backing from a judge on a case by case basis," went into effect immediately upon its approval by the new government.

As historic as the new law may be for Spain, the version that passed was considered so watered down from an earlier version being considered that the prominent Spanish director Alex de la Iglesia resigned in February as president of the Spanish Film Academy. His main complaint was that the new law extended the takedown period from 48 hours to about two weeks, and that a digital canon that was to have been imposed on electronic purchases and earmarked for copyright owners to make up for lost revenue was stripped from the bill. 

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

CYBERSPACE—Here's the problem: Let's say you're a woman and religious—very, very religious—yet you want to satisfy your natural sexual urges. But your fingers won't do the job, and your husband, who of course never looks at pornography, can't seem to bring you that ultimate satisfaction either. What do you do? What do you do???

Well, if you're like Joyce, a 59-year-old mother of two from central California, you search the internet for a solution that won't betray your religious convictions (or at least not much) and that won't offend your sensibilities—and you find one at Book22.com, named after the book in the Bible that contains the Song of Solomon, considered by many to be the raciest part of that tome.

"We avoid any objectionable wording or pictures in the line of products we offer," notes a statement on the site's home page. "Your privacy and protection are important to us. You will not receive anything but what you have ordered. We will not send out unsolicited e-mail or any other material to you. Your information will not be sold or given out to anyone by our company. All products are sold as a novelty only, this is to protect our customers who live in states that do not allow the sale of intimacy products, for personal use."

Members of the adult industry might find it hard to believe that some folks are so screwed up (well, or shy) that they can't bring themselves to go down to the local adult boutique and pick out the toy that they think stands the best chance of getting them off, or even to go to one of the many adult sites that offer similar gadgetry, but according to an article by Daily Beast writer Allison Yarrow, it's a lot more common than even one might fear.

"To an outsider, visiting the religious sites feels a bit like listening to the bleeped-out version of an explicit hip-hop song: the substance is the same, it's just missing the X-rated details," Yarrow wrote. "None of the sites feature any nudity, instead relying on mannequins to display lingerie. Nor do they feature any sexy language. Kosher Sex Toys, for example, rewrites product descriptions that risk shocking its audience. (The 'Butterfly Clitoris Stimulator' becomes, simply, the 'Vibrating Stimulator.') And while they don't flaunt their holiness, they'll occasionally rely on religious messaging to sell themselves, or perhaps put potential customers at ease. Book 22, for example, promises to 'enhance the intimate life of all God's children'."

Shades of Hysteria!

Indeed; the Book 22 site doesn't even list "vibrator" in its menu; you have to click on the button that says simply "waterproof." Indeed; everything they sell is repackaged into plain boxes, while another site, El Asira, run by a practicing Muslim, "only stocks brands that arrive in tasteful and inoffensive wrappings"—and are "Sharia-compliant." Book 22 also has "intimacy kits" available; the one labeled "Newlywed Kit" (pictured) contains a copy of the pamphlet "What's Okay & What's Not" by Paul & Lori Bylerly, a Pillow Pack ID Pleasure Lube, a Pillow Pack ID Flavored Lube, a Pillow Pack Essence of Pearl Lotion, a Pillow Pack Silicone Lube,  Pleasure Feather massager, a Silky Black Storage Bag, 2 oz. of tropical-scented massage cream, a plastic handheld massager, two tea lights, and a Mini-Massage Guide.

The article, which novelty manufacturers would certainly find well worth reading, discusses the various conflicts that can arise between religious dogma and adherents' need for sexual outlets—while others might just want to check it out for kicks, or to laugh at how screwed up orthodox religiosity can make some people.

But one thing's for sure: No matter how religious you are, there are still places on the internet where your needs can be satisfied while not offending your sensibilities.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

LOS ANGELES—Those who caught 'The Last Word' with Lawrence O'Donnell last night on MSNBC would have been treated to a five-minute segment of political humor... if the topic hadn't been of such overwhelming importance to the adult industry.

Everyone knows that every single top Republican presidential candidate is a hypocrite, whether it's Newt Gingrich's history of extramarital philandering, or Mitt Romney's impressive list of flip-flops, or Ron Paul's attempts to erase his history of racism, or Michelle Bachmann's dismissal of the usefulness of Medicaid until she found out her husband's clinic received Medicaid funds, or Rick Santorum comparing gay marriage to "man on dog" sex, or Rick Perry, who's rumored to have had gay liaisons, forgetting his Supreme Court fight to keep homosexuality illegal in Lawrence v. Texas as well as claiming there's some connection between gays in the military and banning official prayer in schools, or Jon Huntsman, who's decided that maybe global climate change doesn't really have a scientific basis after all.

Bearing all that in mind, it's perhaps not surprising that O'Donnell would call out the Republican candidates in general, and Newt Gingrich in particular, to oppose the upcoming vote on whether to force all adult performers in Los Angeles to wear condoms while performing sex scenes.

After noting that Gingrich somehow couldn't get 10,000 of Virginia's 8 million residents to sign his petition to be placed on that state's commonwealth's presidential primary ballot, O'Donnell continued, "The city where I am now, Los Angeles, has a population about half the state of Virginia, and the people of Los Angeles produced 70,000 signatures—30,000 more than needed—to put a measure on the presidential primary ballot that would require actors in porn to wear condoms while filming in the city of Los Angeles. There is no clearer marker of the depths that the Gingrich campaign has sunk to than the fact that there are more people who want to protect the health of porn stars than there are people in the entire state of Virginia who want the chance to vote for Newt Gingrich for President."

But making that comparison seemed to inspire O'Donnell to further "heights":

 "[I]f at least two candidates are left standing when the Republican campaign comes to California, the very first question I want to hear asked at the debate is, 'Are you in favor of porn stars being required to wear condoms?'" he implored. "There is no better trick question for the Republican candidates! These are the candidates who swear that the only greater evil than government regulation is of course taxation, and the measure that will be on the ballot in California with those Republican candidates not only calls for regulating the wardrobes in porn films, but it imposes a fee—really, it's a tax, really; it's really a tax—on porn producers to pay for government inspection of porn film sets to make sure the actors are complying with the new government regulation. Porn producers hate this thing. You would think anything that's bad for the porn business is something prudish Republican candidates would want to—I'm not gonna say 'get behind.'"

"The problem for Republicans is that this is classic liberal big government imposition of regulation and taxation on small businesses that Republicans swear to us are already overregulated and overtaxed," he continued, "and it creates a new kind of government worker whose salary and benefits Republicans would always being trying to cut: Porn set condom inspectors. Now, we know there is only one Republican candidate who would have no problem with this question in a California debate: Ron Paul would be vehemently opposed to the regulation and taxation of porn producers to pay for that regulation. But where do the rest of the Republican candidates go on this one? Do they choose to make life tougher for porn producers? Do they side with the AIDS Health [sic] Foundation that got the signatures to put this proposition on the ballot? Do they rewrite their anti-regulation, anti-tax stance to include exceptions for porn producers? Do they oppose the tax on porn producers because, as they always say, government already taxes small business way too much in this country? Or do they just stick with their principles, stick with their anti-tax, anti-regulation principles and stand side by side with porn producers in the principled fight against condoms on porn sets?"

O'Donnell closed the segment by suggesting that if the Republicans actually adopted the anti-AIDS Healthcare position, they might actually find themselves the recipients of campaign contributions from at least one porn studio, because "Steven Hirsch... can pour more money into your campaign than you can count." Why? Because "[t]he only people who hate regulation even a little bit more than Republican presidential candidates are porn producers."

Of course, porn producers don't "hate regulation," unless those regulations are designed to put them out of business, as mandatory condoms (and the dental dams, goggles and face shields that would inevitably follow) likely would—but the key here is that O'Donnell has set the porn industry up as the "bad guys" who are so against performer health and safety that logically, even those other bad guys, the Republican presidential candidates, should support them—and would, if they weren't all hypocrites. And that's a piss-poor message for a putative liberal to be delivering on national TV.

In a sense, the situation is similar to the misunderstanding by at least one adult commentator of the amendment suggested by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) but offered by Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO) to the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) which would have exempted the adult industry—certainly the world's biggest victim of online piracy—from availing themselves of the government's resources to protect their intellectual property rights because those properties "are pornographic or obscene in nature"—and of course, Congress couldn't be seen as doing anything that in any way helps the porn industry. Still, they voted the amendment down—but a Polis spokesperson nonetheless told the Huffington Post that, "You're basically going to have the Justice Department policing all of this, and if we're going to be extending those resources, we shouldn't be prioritizing the property rights of pornographers over others."

Yeah! No special government privileges for pornographers—even if they never asked for any, and nothing in the bill gives them any.

Or as Tom Hymes noted in his article, "In combining pornography and obscenity, which Polis did as well in his amendment, the lawmakers do disservice to the First Amendment despite their acknowledgment that people have the constitutional right to make and access legal porn. The constitution means little, however, if legislators can so easily conflate illegal and legal acts, and in doing so drag the latter down to the same level as the former."

And the football season is only just getting under way!

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Posted Dec 30th, 2011 02:52 PM

LOS ANGELES—The Screaming O has officially introduced its 2012 calendar, paying homage to American pop culture with scenes that capture classic images from the past. The Screaming O may not have been around for every one of those memorable moments, but the same sexy attitude the company is known for certainly was.

Each page of the 2012 Screaming O Calendar features a beautiful girl in a classic pin-up pose, embodying the sexually confident Screaming O attitude with poise and grace. Whether she’s sitting at the soda shop, checking her oil at the garage or revving engines at the race track, these girls next door helped shape America's ideas about beauty.

“It may have been something as simple as a flirty glance, a romantic spark, or an instant attraction that left a lasting impression in our minds,” The Screaming O partner Keith Caggiano said. “These girls embrace the power of their sexuality with confidence and style, which is what The Screaming O is all about. We always say, inside every girl next door is a Screaming O girl at heart!”

The Official 2012 Screaming O Calendar features full-color glossy photography that catches every flirtatious face, curvy shape, and all-American scene in detail.

“Our products and brand are known for celebrating women’s and couples’ sexual freedom and curiosity, giving them the tools and tips that can help change their sex lives,” Caggiano said. “So we wanted to create something unique to commemorate these moments in our society’s sexual evolution and give our fans something extra special to look at.”

The Official 2012 Scream Team calendar is available to retailers nationwide.

For more information about the Studio Collection, the company’s newest line of stylish toys designed specifically to appeal to female consumers, visit ScreamingOStudio.com.

The Screaming O has been nominated for two 2012 AVN awards: Sex Toy Company of the Year and Best Overall Sex Toy Line.

For more information about The Screaming O, visit TheScreamingO.com. Check out companys latest sexy news and events information at Facebook.com/ScreamingO.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Posted Dec 30th, 2011 02:07 PM

VAN NUYS, Calif.—When it comes to the best blowjob and facial scenes, Evil Angel director Jonni Darkko is second to none. Having racked up more than 10 nominations for the 2012 AVN Awards in oral sex categories alone, Darkko has solidified his place as the Master of the POV blowjob genre.

With 10 scenes and over three hours of footage, Facial Overload contains a plethora of the industry’s sexiest cum catchers along with a cumshot recap feature that allows the viewer to watch the cumshots from a second angle. Included in the cast are three AVN Best New Starlet award nominees—tattooed beauty Skin Diamond, Latin cutie-pie Jynx Maze and curvy diva Bethany Benz.

“Reorders have been off the charts for this title!” said Justin Rich, Evil Angel’s domestic sales manager. “The AVN nominations for Darkko and his hand-picked cast have added to the staying power of Facial Overload. The timing was perfect. When you combine Jonni Darkko’s shooting style with top-notch industry girls, the title is going to be hard to keep in stock!”

“I was really focused on finding the freshest faces from the industry for this movie, but they also had to be able to give great blowjobs,” added Darkko. “With a recipe of new talent along with Winston Burbank’s over abundant pop-shots, I knew this would be a fan favorite.”

Skin Diamond adorned the glam ad cover while cum-covered beauty Trinity St. Clair made for a truly striking explicit DVD cover. See it and the trailer here.

For more sales details, contact Evil Angel by email at sales@EvilAngel.com or by telephone at (818) 787-1414.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Posted Dec 30th, 2011 12:09 PM

LOS ANGELES—The 2012 AVN Adult Entertainment Expo is pleased to announce that LA Direct Models has been named an event sponsor. The show begins on Thursday, Jan. 18 and runs through Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012 in the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas.

“Direct Models is delighted to participate fully in the new AVN show,” said CEO and founder of LA Direct Models Derek Hay. “We are especially pleased that AVN has made the show focused on the girls themselves with an unprecedented effort to arrange for and organize that we and other agencies and our model clients are made welcome at the show, so that the maximum number of girls may attend. After all—isn’t this business all about the girls anyway? This will be a different show this year, more hands on and interactive. We are looking forward to it.”

The list of talent that will be signing at the LA Direct booth inside the all new AEE Fan Fest include Aleksa Nicole, April O’Neil, Asphyxia Noir, Brandy Aniston, Eden Adams, Lea Lexis, Lexi Swallow, Liza Del Sierra, Randi Wright, Spencer Scott, Taylor Wane, Tory Lane, Yurizan Beltran, Capri Anderson, Riley Evans, Emily B and Lou Lou.

“We are excited to have LA Direct Models involved with the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo,” said Theo Sapoutzis, chief executive officer for AVN. “The incredible talent that LA Direct has will be one of the many highlights of this year’s show.”

Started in 2000, LA Direct Models represents more than 120 female performers and 30 male performers—the most of any agency in the industry. LA Direct represents numerous AVN Award-winning girls and exclusive contract stars. The company has expanded to represent production professionals such as makeup artists, videographers, directors, still photographers and more.

All fan, trade and press attendees can go to AdultEntertainmentExpo.com for the 2012 AVN Adult Entertainment Expo (AEE), which will be held at its new home, The Hard Rock Hotel. AEE will showcase an incredible lineup of the biggest names the adult industry has to offer, the hottest adult stars from around the world, a robust trade seminar program, stage shows, musical performances, and a first look at the cutting-edge technology behind some of the most innovative sex toys and novelties on the market today, and in the future.

For the first time in its history, The Hard Rock Hotel will host all facets of the expo, as well as the 2012 AVN Awards.

One of the largest adult tradeshows in the world, AEE brings together an exciting and unique experience for everyone within the adult entertainment industry. AEE trade registration includes the AVN Novelty Expo (ANE), the industry’s leading B2B trade expo for pleasure products, the AEE Trade Show, and for the first time, the AEE Fan Fest, giving fans never-before-seen access to the industry and its participants.

In a first, AEE will be presenting over 12 official parties held throughout Las Vegas, where attendees of the expo have the opportunity to upgrade their tickets to attend these events.

Wednesday is restricted to trade attendees only, and special “trade only” hours on Friday and Saturday will restrict access to industry professionals and the media in order to permit exhibitors to make and build business and media contacts before fans are allowed into the Expo.

Trade registration provides badge holders access to all AEE and ANE seminars, the main exhibit hall during all show hours, and the AVN Novelty Expo. Special Fan Tickets are also now available at fall discount rates. The VIP Fan Package includes access to the Fan Fest featuring over 300 adult stars, separate VIP Entrance, dedicated registration area, AEE Show Directory, and a complimentary T-shirt for $100.

The 2012 AVN Adult Entertainment Expo (AEE) is dramatically expanding its audience reach with the creation of an AVN-AEE Virtual Ticket allowing registrants to view and participate in the iconic Las Vegas event from the privacy of their own home. Wicked Pictures exclusive contract star Jessica Drake and MrSkin.com founder Jim McBride will be VirtualCast hosts alongside popular Midwest radio personality Rover. A Virtual Ticket is $19.99 and available at AdultEntertainmentExpo.com. 

The 2012 AVN Adult Entertainment Expo sets the stage for the 29th annual AVN Awards Show, held Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012 at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas. The annual AVN Awards is the premier gala of adult video and recognizes titles, individuals and companies for contributions to and excellence in the industry. Please note that a separate ticket is required for admission to the AVN Awards Show.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Posted Dec 30th, 2011 08:39 AM

TAMPA—Masque Sexual Flavors (YourMasque.com) is offering a new flavor just in time for the new year. The oral sex strip is now available in mango. The tropical fruit flavor provides additional options for couples resolving to be more adventurous in the bedroom in 2012.

“We use all our senses during oral sex, which is why it is so intimate," said one participant in an independent study funded by Masque. “So for those people who may have an issue with one of those senses—taste, this is a great product.”

Designed with couples in mind, Masque aims to enhance intimacy and communication between partners.

“The more you have sex with someone, the more connected you become. But oral sex is more of a connection than intercourse. It is more personal,” said one research participant.

The study also showed that 60 percent of women would have an increased interest in performing oral sex with the use of Masque.

“We have received a lot of feedback about our mango strips. We feel strongly that this could become one of our most popular flavors,” saidhael Guilfoyle, COO of Masque.

Masque is also available in chocolate, strawberry and watermelon flavors. The oral sex strips can be purchased on the company’s website, YourMasque.com, or on Amazon.com for $12. Each pack contains three individually-wrapped gel strips.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Posted Dec 29th, 2011 08:24 AM

LOS ANGELES—Seven ’til Midnight, or rather, the hours that conjure up titillating fantasies and mischievous rendezvous, is when the fun begins. In the coming year the fun begins with Seven ‘til Midnight’s 2012 collection, a swinging ’60s-inspired intimates collection. With this collection the glamour and sexy sophistication of the ’60s come alive.

A steamy scene in a backseat, casual flirting over cocktails, a secret affair ... the ’60s era was a liberating and exuberant time evocative of fantasy and glamour. With the new 2012 collection, Seven ’til Midnight captures the alluring sensuality we now identify with the decade.

The collection—which is slated to be released in time for Valentine’s Day—encapsulates the sensuous ’60s era with more than 800 lingerie styles for the season. The brand continues to expand its bustier, bridal, packaged lingerie, tutus and Baby Got Curves plus size offerings. These fashion forward styles are competitively priced, with lingerie ranging from $1.50 to $20.00 wholesale.  The collection will premier at the Salon International de la Lingerie inParis, Jan. 21-23, 2012.

For more information on Seven ’til Midnight’s range of intimates, visit SevenTilMidnight.com.  Be it a clandestine affair or a romantic liaison, Seven ’til Midnight will take you there in style. Fall madly in love as Seven ’til Midnight takes a trip back to the swinging sixties.

Seven ’til Midnight is distributed domestically by XGen Products to the adult entertainment industry.

For more information, visit XGenProducts.com.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Posted Dec 29th, 2011 08:24 AM

LOS ANGELES—Seven ’til Midnight, or rather, the hours that conjure up titillating fantasies and mischievous rendezvous, is when the fun begins. In the coming year the fun begins with Seven ‘til Midnight’s 2012 collection, a swinging ’60s-inspired intimates collection. With this collection the glamour and sexy sophistication of the ’60s come alive.

A steamy scene in a backseat, casual flirting over cocktails, a secret affair ... the ’60s era was a liberating and exuberant time evocative of fantasy and glamour. With the new 2012 collection, Seven ’til Midnight captures the alluring sensuality we now identify with the decade.

The collection—which is slated to be released in time for Valentine’s Day—encapsulates the sensuous ’60s era with more than 800 lingerie styles for the season. The brand continues to expand its bustier, bridal, packaged lingerie, tutus and Baby Got Curves plus size offerings. These fashion forward styles are competitively priced, with lingerie ranging from $1.50 to $20.00 wholesale.  The collection will premier at the Salon International de la Lingerie inParis, Jan. 21-23, 2012.

For more information on Seven ’til Midnight’s range of intimates, visit SevenTilMidnight.com.  Be it a clandestine affair or a romantic liaison, Seven ’til Midnight will take you there in style. Fall madly in love as Seven ’til Midnight takes a trip back to the swinging sixties.

Seven ’til Midnight is distributed domestically by XGen Products to the adult entertainment industry.

For more information, visit XGenProducts.com.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

Posted Dec 28th, 2011 02:10 PM

NEW YORK—Fans of the Eroscillator will be happy to hear that Advanced Response Corp. has announced the impending release of the Golden Eroscillator.

The Eroscillator revolutionized the vibrator market when it was first introduced more than 15 years ago. At that time, there were wand-type vibrators that were too powerful and could desensitize women, while the other type used the same type of motor but required batteries, making it not able to deliver strong vibrations.

The Golden Eroscillator works just like its original predecessor, with the attachments anchored directly to the motor, which allows that part to vibrate as opposed to the entire piece. The unique design is the brainchild of Philippe Wood, who invented the first electric toothbrush more than 60 years ago.

The Golden Eroscillator will also come with a Golden Pouch for discreet storage, and with a total of seven attachments.

The first shipment is expected in mid-January, in time for Valentine’s Day.

For more information, visit Eroscillator.com.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

PARIS, France—In a move that may affect some adult performers both in the U.S. and in Europe, French Health Minister Xavier Bertrand this week ordered his country's national health care system to pay for the replacement of approximately 30,000 breast implants which used materials made by French firm Poly Implant Prothese (PIP), after it was learned that the implants contained industrial-grade rather than medical-grade silicone, and that their casings were faulty and prone to rupture or leakage.

"I've always suffered from depression and mental-health problems linked to body image," said an unidentified 48-year-old woman from Normandy. "I earn €1,000 [$1,298] a month in a factory. I couldn't afford breast surgery until my late 40s. But after the implants I felt better, I came off the antidepressants, I was able to face work. Then I find out the implants are poison. The tests say they're still in place but I'm having them removed anyway. I'm terrified they'll rupture or explode at any moment ... I go to bed feeling bad, I wake up feeling bad. It's like living with a ticking bomb inside you."

According to The Guardian (UK), a crowd of angry women demonstrated outside the French health ministry shouting, "We want justice!" And the BBC News reported that police have received more than 2,000 complaints from women who received the implants, and France's Director-General for Health Jean-Yves Grall stated that eight cases of cancer had been reported this year by women who had received the PIP implants.

"The implant had leaked to such an extent I had four swellings hanging from my armpits which were full of silicone gel, and had to be drained," said Sylvie, 57, who once ran a children's clothing business outside Paris and received PIP implants seven years ago after reconstruction surgery following breast cancer. "Last year I found out the implants were defective but I was having chemotherapy at the time so I couldn't have them removed immediately. It's as if a foreign element is poisoning your body as well as the cancer. If you think about it too much, you'd suffocate. You have to have a mentality of steel to survive."

"Flat-chested, I never felt like a woman," said Audrey, 32, a child care provider from southern France. "After the implants, I felt transformed. When I saw the TV reports of faulty implants, I went to have them removed. Tests had shown mine had not ruptured or leaked, but during surgery the doctor found they were in fact leaking ... I breastfed for eight months with these implants in place—at what risk to my child?"

Dozens of British women have already sued the company over the faulty implants, and Interpol has issued an arrest warrant for PIP founder Jean-Claude Mas ... for drunk-driving in Costa Rica.

"He was a butcher, selling ham and sausage, before he started this line of work," said a former associate of Mas's.

An estimated 21,000 implant surgeries are performed each year in France.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.