Censorship in Australia

Censorship in Australia is enforced through the use of a government-regulated classification system. Classifications come in two varieties: 'advisory' and 'restricted'. Any material classified under an advisory category has no legal restrictions on its possession, viewing, sale, exhibition or distribution, assuming that there is no violation of copyright laws. Material classified under a restricted category, however, possesses legal restrictions based on the age of the person accessing it. Material that has been Refused Classification (RC) is completely illegal to view, possess, sell, exhibit or distribute, regardless of age. Censorship of video games and internet sites hosted in Australia are considered to be the strictest in the western world.
Australia is a federation, and responsibility for censorship is divided between the states and the federal government. Under the Australian Constitution, the Federal Parliament has the power to create communications and customs regulatory laws. Regulation of broadcast media (television and radio) and online services (the internet) is determined by the federal government under its communications authority. Regulation of the import and export of printed matter, audio-visual recordings and computer games is determined by the federal government under its customs authority. However, it is up to individual states to make regulatory decisions regarding the production and sale of printed matter, audio-visual recordings and computer games that are created and sold solely within Australia.
To reduce duplication and ensure some national consistency, the states, territories and federal government established a co-operative national classification scheme. Under this scheme, the Australian Classification Board (a federal body) classifies works. Federal law enforces these classifications with respect to customs and online services. According to the broadcast services act 1992, the board is not responsible for classifying material on broadcast media; this is completed by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).
Since the Federal Parliament has no power to criminalise the domestic sale or exhibition of printed matter within the states or territories, they have instead passed their own laws criminalising such sale and exhibition as part of the national classification scheme. While they have delegated their censorship responsibility in general to the Classification Board, they reserve the legal right in specific cases to either:
The arrest and prosecution of any person violating classification laws requires action by both federal and state police.
History.
Not only was "Lady Chatterley's Lover" banned from importation into Australia in 1929, but a book describing the British trial, "The Trial of Lady Chatterley", was also banned in 1964. A copy was smuggled into the country and then published locally in 1965 to bypass the federal importation ban. The fallout from this event eventually led to the easing of censorship of books in the country.
However many books, plays and films were still banned. As late as 1969 the book "Portnoy's Complaint" was declared a "prohibited import" in Australia, though the Australian publisher, Penguin Books, resisted and had copies printed up in secret and stored in fleets of moving trucks. Several attempts to prosecute Penguin and any bookseller carrying the book failed.
The Australian Classification Board was formed in 1970. It is a federal body with the power to classify (and to refuse classification) all films (and, from 1994, video games). From 1994 to 2005 the ACB was overseen by the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC). In 2007, the OFLC was dissolved and the Attorney-General's Department became responsible for the ACB.
1993 saw the introduction of the MA15+ rating to fill in the gap between the M rating and the R18+ rating due to complaints about films such as "The Silence of the Lambs" (1991) being too strong for the M rating (not recommended for younger audiences, though any age is still admitted) but not high enough in impact to be rated R18+ (no one under 18 years of age is admitted).
Current situation.
, censorship is largely the purview of the Classification Board, a statutory body that operates independently of the Federal Government.
Failure to obtain classification is an implicit ban (except for exempt films and games, and publications whose content is not sufficient to warrant restriction to adults) and the Classification Board occasionally refuses to give classification. All feature films, videos, computer games, and magazines that contain sexual content for commercial release are required to be submitted to this body, made up of "community representatives" appointed by the government for three- or four-year terms.
Some films (those made for educational or training purposes, for instance) are exempt from classification under certain conditions. Film festivals and institutions such as Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) must apply to the Classification Board to have the films on their proposed program made exempt from classification for the purpose of screening at a particular film festival or event. If the Classification Board believes an unclassified work, in their estimation would receive an X18+ classification if it were to be classified they will not grant an exemption for public screening as an X18+ cannot be exhibited. Film festivals may be required to the age-restrict entrance to a festival or screening.
In addition to the Classification Board, the Australian Communications and Media Authority is also active in making recommendations and setting guidelines for media censorship. Confusion has recently arisen between the bodies over censorship of mobile content (see below).
The Classification Board is "not" responsible for classifying television shows. Television is regulated by the ACMA, and the content of free-to-air commercial television is industry-regulated under the Australian Commercial Television Code of Practice. However, the Classification Board does administer the classification of TV programs for private sale (e.g. DVD and video), using the same rating classes and advisory graphics as for feature films.
Film and video game classification refusal.
Films, computer games, and publications are classified RC if they contain material that is considered offensive to the standards of morality, decency and propriety generally accepted by reasonable adults to the extent that it should not be classified. Classification is mandatory, and films that are "Refused Classification" by the "ACB" are legally banned for sale, hire or public exhibition, carrying a maximum fine of $275,000 and/or 10 years' jail if an individual/organisation is found to be in breach. Each Australian state has its own legislation regarding censorship and uses penalty units regarding penalties.
It is, however, legal to possess RC films and games - for people over 18 (except in Western Australia and certain parts of the Northern Territory), unless they contain illegal content (e.g. child pornography). The content is very high in impact.
Films and games that exceed the X18+ & R18+ ratings (respectively) are Refused Classification by the ACB. Content which may be Refused Classification include:
The Refused Classification branding is generally regarded as a form of censorship by the government. This system has been subject to various criticisms including that it is a form of a government censor body, that could be manipulated to dictate political party policies through itself, that having the government being allowed to ban certain material is against freedom of speech/expression.
Other censorship areas.
Television.
Both free-to-air and subscription television must have codes of practice authorised by the Australian Communications and Media Authority.
Subscription television is able to carry R18+ rated material, but must ensure that the material is restricted to access by those with appropriate disabling devices.
In practice, R18+ material appears predominantly on the Adults Only cable channel but also at times on the foreign-language World Movies channel. X18+ pornography can be legally shown in the ACT.
Books.
Book classification in Australia is weak by nature, due to the statement in the "Classification Act 1995" that only 'submittable publications' may be censored.
This requires the publication to have content that:
Usually only certain types of prohibited pornography, serious encouragement of crime, instructions on suicide and seditious literature are banned from publications in Australia.
Although the Australian Classification Board Guidelines state that "adults should be able to read, hear and see what they want", many books are apparently banned or given a restricted classification simply because they may offend certain segments of the population. Under particularly frequent attacks are books containing erotica, those concerning illegal drugs, and those discussing end-of-life issues (particularly those discussing or condoning assisted suicide). For example, in December 2006 the voluntary euthanasia book "The Peaceful Pill Handbook" was classified by the OFLC as X18+ and approved for publication. A month later, on appeal from the Australian Attorney General Philip Ruddock and Right to Life NSW, the book's classification was reviewed by the Literature Classification Board and rated RC (refused classification).
Publication classifications are most commonly applied to magazines with visual depictions of nudity or sexual activity, such as many men's magazines. It is uncommon for these ratings to appear on books, even those dealing with adult themes, except in the most controversial cases.
The "Restricted" categories are subject to various restrictions in different states; for example, one or both categories may only be sold in adults-only premises in certain states. For this reason, some adult magazines are published in two editions in Australia, or just one edited edition which can be sold anywhere, with a warning, as "Unrestricted Mature". If a publication does not fall into any of the categories below it is rated "Refused Classification" (Banned).
Video pornography.
All the states actually go further than Commonwealth law requires and ban the sale of X18+ rated material, though possessing it after ordering it from elsewhere is legal (except in parts of the Northern Territory). Therefore, all legal sale of X18+ rated material in Australia occurs by mail order from the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory. In practice, sex shops commonly carry extensive stocks of X-rated films regardless of the law. However the police still can use the laws to raid premises, seize goods and perhaps prosecute, as happened in 2010 in St Marys, New South Wales.
Restrictions on the "X18+" category of videos were tightened in 2000 including the restrictions on portrayal of fetishes, and of actors who appear to be minors, after failed attempts by the Howard government to ban the category entirely, and then replace it with a new "NVE" category which would have had similar restrictions.
Internet.
Australia's laws on Internet censorship are amongst the most restrictive in the western world. However, the restrictive nature of the laws has been combined with almost complete lack of interest in enforcement from the agencies responsible.
Some of the interesting exceptions include an attempt by then NSW Police Minister Michael Costa to shut down Melbourne Indymedia, a case in 2001 involving the US Secret Service that was eventually pleaded out, and an attempt by the FBI using the Australian Federal Police to censor a Victorian they alleged was posting threats to the US.
A collection of both federal and state laws apply, but the most important is the federal legislation which came into effect on 1 January 2000.
If a complaint is issued about material on the Internet, the ACMA is empowered to examine the material under the guidelines for film and video. If it is found that a) the material would be classified X18+, or b) the material would classified R18+ and the site does not have an adult verification system, or c) the material would be refused classification:
This list of banned sites is then added to filtering software, which must be offered to all consumers by Internet Service Providers and the Australian Government.
On 31 December 2007 the Telecommunications Minister of the newly elected Labor government, Stephen Conroy, announced that Australia would introduce mandatory internet filtering. Once more the reason given is that mandatory filtering is required to "provide greater protection to children from online pornography and violent websites".
As of November 2008, the plan includes two blacklists, one of which will filter illegal content according to internet content laws as well as other "unwanted" content, and the other will also filter content unsuitable for children. Internet users will be able to opt out of the secondary blacklist for children, but will not be able to opt out of the primary filter, sparking free speech concerns. No statement has been made about what content will be considered "illegal", or what Stephen Conroy means by "unwanted".
Slated for blocking, should the "Clean Feed" Act be passed by Australia's Federal Parliament, is the website of Dr Philip Nitschke's banned book, "The Peaceful Pill Handbook". The inclusion of Nitschke's euthanasia book's website came to light after the Government's list of would-be banned websites was leaked to wikileaks.org. "The Peaceful Pill Handbook" was listed on the leaked internet website blacklist, wedged in alphabetical order between the porn sites panty-ass.com and pickyourperversion.com.
This produced a huge backlash from the community, including the Get Up advertisement Censordyne. Conroy eventually abandoned the proposal, saying that the relevant authority was already invested in ACMA, which didn't take any action in accordance.
Since the election of the Coalition government in 2013, there has been one act passed, that allows the blocking of websites that host pirated content, if the content provider has contacted the Australian government about it and they've gone through the procedures set out through the act, then the website will be blocked under s.115a of the "Copyright Amendment (Online Infringement) Bill 2015."
There has been two applications to Section.115a, one by Foxtel and another by Village Roadshow, which would prohibit an Australian pirate site from functioning and block The Pirate Bay respectively. The Federal Court has recently ruled that ISP's must block a range of Torrent sites including The Pirate Bay using either DNS Hijacking, URL blocking or some other mutually agreed method by ISPs and rights holders.
On 20 March 2019 Australian telecom company Telstra denied access to millions of Australians to the websites 4chan, 8chan, Zero Hedge, and Liveleak as a reaction to the Christchurch mosque shootings.
Music.
Music censorship is managed on a self-regulatory basis under the "Recorded Music Labelling Code of Practice" of the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) and the Australian Music Retailers Association (AMRA). Its ratings system uses three levels of objectionable content.
Although music itself is not subject to legal censorship, packaging and album artwork (including any printed lyrics) are considered as a publication. In 2003, copies of an album by grindcore band Intense Hammer Rage were seized by the Australian Customs Service for violating customs prohibitions on the import of products dealing "with matters of sex, drug misuse or addiction, crime, cruelty, violence or revolting or abhorrent phenomena in such a way that they offend against the standards of morality, decency and propriety generally accepted by reasonable adults".
Political speech.
Australia lacks an explicitly protected form of freedom of speech. Some individuals possess limited forms of free speech, such as parliamentarians in session, university lecturers in a lecture, or people speaking in a designated domain for speeches. In the late 1990s the High Court of Australia found that there was an implied right of free speech only in relation to political or economic matters.
In addition to explicit law, Australia has stringent defamation laws (although which are in the process of being reformed) which also extend to foreign companies that do business in Australia (see: "Dow Jones & Co Inc v Gutnick").
As of 2006, parody and satire are now legally protected in Australia after the government introduced amendments to the country's copyright laws, thus eliminating the possibility of censorship occurring in such a circumstance, as has previously taken place.
Censorship of sexual assault victims.
In February 2020, the Parliament of Victoria banned the publication of the identity of sexual assault victims without authorization from the court, even when the victims give consent.
Censorship of personal injury compensation.
Lawyers in most Australian states are censored in respect of public statements they are allowed to publish concerning personal injury compensation law. Non-lawyers are also prohibited from publishing statements on the subject in some states. The laws are described as a ban on advertising of personal injury compensation but go much further.
The censorship must be self-administered, and breaches render a lawyer liable to prosecution, disbarment and, potentially, even jail. These laws coincided with the Insurance Crisis, the Ipp report and Civil Liability laws.
In New South Wales all lawyer public statements concerning personal injury compensation are prohibited.
Queensland.
In Queensland television and radio advertising is banned and lawyer statements concerning personal injury compensation law must be censored so as to contain only:
The Queensland censorship provisions were originally intended to ban distasteful advertisements by some personal injury law firms that promoted "cash for injuries". The Queensland Attorney-General stated in his Second Reading speech when introducing the legislation in 2002 as follows:
The bill also better regulates provocative advertising by lawyers in relation to personal injury services ... the sort of advertising currently broadcast on radio and television does not enhance clients' rights or portray the profession in a particularly positive light.
Section 4 (2) (f) of the Queensland Act refers to ""regulating inappropriate advertising"..."
However the Queensland government has since given the censorship provisions the strictest possible interpretation and threatened hundreds of lawyers with prosecution.
One of the many outcomes that impact on freedom of expression and free speech is that concerning lawyers' web sites. A lawyer must not even list "personal injury" even merely as a link on a webpage that has no relation to the prohibited subject matter.
In practice, lawyers are prohibited from listing even on their website homepage some of the areas of law they practise in. Photos, images, slogans are prohibited. All references to personal injury compensation law must be censored out of website staff profiles containing anything more than the person's name, contact details and area of expertise.
Some other subject matter that must be censored out of web sites and other publications includes: winning verdicts and settlements; mention of the law firms reputation, expertise and history; testimonials; case histories; the standard of service and many other things that would allow consumers to differentiate among competitors.
The Queensland censorship provisions have not yet been judicially interpreted. It is unknown whether the ultra-strict interpretation contended for by the Queensland government will be upheld by a court.
New South Wales.
In New South Wales, all statements by lawyers concerning personal injury compensation including on websites are banned and strict penalties apply. One lawyer has already been professionally punished and fined $20,000 for making a website statement.
The New South Wales version of the censorship law which is stricter than that of Queensland was considered by the High Court of Australia in 2005. The plaintiffs argued that the law was invalid because it infringed the implied constitutional freedom of political communication and secondly that it infringed Chapter III of the Constitution and the rule of law.
In a majority decision the court held that the New South Wales censorship law was valid. It did not accept that statements merely about personal injury compensation law were of a political nature. It implied however that any statements criticising the censorship itself and tort "reform" would be in the nature of political communication that was protected. The majority also ruled against the plaintiffs on the second argument (but the minority were strongly of the view) that the law unreasonably interfered with lawyers going about their constitutionally protected vocation.
On 20 June 2008, Justice Adams of the Supreme Court of NSW held that clause 34 of the Legal Profession Regulation 2005 which bans personal injury advertising in NSW by non-lawyers, was void because it was Ultra Vires the Legal Profession Act 2004. See: The Council of the Law Society of NSW v Australian Injury Helpline Ltd & Ors [2008] NSWSC 627.
Victoria.
No censorship applies in Victoria.
Western Australia.
The Western Australian censorship rules are similar to those in Queensland. However, television advertising is permitted by ACMA.
Consumer opposition.
The Australian Lawyers Alliance opposes the censorship and believes that "content-rich statements" concerning the availability of all legal services are in the public interest.
Consumer groups (e.g. Tort Reform Institute, Insurance Reform) argue that any restriction on lawyer communication is adverse to the public interest. They argue that the public should be fully informed about their rights particularly under consumer protection laws that generate compensation payments, and that censorship that keeps the public under-informed cannot be justified. In their view, the protection of insurance company profits is not a sufficient "public purpose" to warrant the interference in personal freedoms by way of censorship. The ultimate aim of the government and insurers, according to such consumer groups, is to eliminate the expression "personal injury compensation" from the Australian vocabulary and to dissuade citizens from exercising compensation rights by making it "distasteful" to do so.
Exceptions to the censorship provision apply to:
Controversies.
Heated debates about classification occur on occasions. Since 1995, a total of five films and two books have been banned. In most cases films Refused Classification are still legal to possess (except in Western Australia and certain parts of the Northern Territory).
Video games.
Controversy in the early 1990s over games like "Night Trap" and "Mortal Kombat" saw the introduction of a classification scheme for video games in 1994, with a modified system compared with Television and Film classification, with different icons involving the G8+ system.
In 2005 games became subject to the same classification ratings and restrictions as films, in response to confusion by parents. As a part of this the G8+ rating was replaced with PG.
Originally there was no R18+ rating for video games, meaning that any game that exceeded the MA15+ classification (i.e., suitable for adults, but not children) was automatically rated "Refused Classification" and banned, but on 22 July 2011, a meeting of attorneys-general produced an in-principle agreement to introduce the R18+ classification for videogames, however, NSW Attorney-General Greg Smith abstained from the vote. The Home Affairs Minister, Brendan O'Connor, has said the federal government would over-ride NSW and implement the R18+ rating regardless of its decision. Legislation introducing the rating was passed by the Senate in June 2012, with a start of 1 January 2013.
The "Grand Theft Auto" series has caused controversy in Australia. In 2002, "Grand Theft Auto III" was withdrawn from sale for allowing players to have sexual intercourse with virtual prostitutes; the game was later reinstated when this action was removed. Specifically, the player could solicit intercourse from a virtual prostitute, and then kill her. The ability to solicit sex from prostitutes in the game was the action that was removed, but the player could still violently murder them. " was also pre-censored for the same reasons. Though, in 2010 Vice City was classified uncut again receiving a MA15+.
" was withdrawn from sale in July 2005 following the revelation that interactive sex scenes were included in the content files on the game's disc; one could not ordinarily access these scenes, but a third party modification, known as the Hot Coffee mod, allowed the player to access these scenes within the game itself, and the inclusion of the scenes on the game disc took the game outside the MA15+ category. The MA15+ rating was re-instated after a modified version was released worldwide by Rockstar Games, removing the content files for the sex scenes.
"Grand Theft Auto IV" has also prompted editing in the Australian (PAL) version, as Rockstar was worried it might get a RC rating. In the American release, sexual encounters with prostitutes occur inside the player's vehicle and the player has the ability to rotate the camera for a clearer view of what transpires. In the censored Australian version, the camera is fixed behind the vehicle, which rocks from side to side with accompanying audio effects. It is impossible for the player to view the inside of the car. Rockstar later decided to rate the uncut version of the game which went on to receive a MA15+ and a patch was later released for the PS3 and Xbox 360 to uncensor the game.
In 2005, ' was banned for encouraging gang violence (a version removing the game's Arcade Mode, cutting down on gore and with an automatic Game Over for killing innocents was given an MA15+ rating), while Marc Ecko's ' was also banned for glorifying illegal graffiti tagging, and "Reservoir Dogs" was banned because the Australian government disliked the fact that the player was able to shoot the heads off of hostages during a bank heist. The highly violent and controversial "Postal" and its sequel, "Postal²", have also been banned in Australia for similar reasons.
On 4 July 2008, "Fallout 3" was refused classification by the OFLC due to the "realistic visual representations of drugs and their delivery method (bringing) the 'science-fiction' drugs in line with 'real-world' drugs." A revised version of the game was resubmitted to the OFLC and reclassified as MA 15+ on 7 August 2008 after drug names were changed. It was later clarified that the only change done to the final version of the game was the name Morphine changed to Med-x. This change was done to all versions worldwide, thus Australia got the same version of the game as other countries uncut with a MA15+.
The lack of R18+ and X18+ ratings for games has been the subject of complaint in the gaming community, particularly on the basis that there is no reason why adults should not be able to see content in games that they would see in a film. One of the main opponents to the introduction of a R18+ rating for video games was the former South Australian Attorney-General Michael Atkinson who has vetoed every attempt to induce one. Following his resignation after the 2010 South Australian elections there appears to be no likelihood of a future veto in the face of public opinion supporting the new classification. In August 2008, Australian video game show Good Game announced that a meeting of the Attorneys-General in March of that year resulted in a decision that the Australian public would be consulted before a final decision on the status of a R18+ rating for video games would be made.
On 15 September 2009, "Left 4 Dead 2" was refused classification by the OFLC with the reason being "The game contains realistic, frenetic and unrelenting violence which is inflicted upon "the Infected" who are living humans infected with a rabies-like virus that causes them to act violently". The game was edited and released with an MA15+ classification two months later. This was due to the game's creators and an online petition that began circulating shortly after the public became aware of the game being banned. In 2014, the game was re-released completely uncensored and rated R18+ due to the new classification system introduced the year before, the uncensored version also came onto Steam with a manually installed patch.
Around December 2009, the video game "Alien vs Predator" was refused classification due to graphic gore, with the developer refusing to modify the game. However, the ban was later overturned by the Classification Review Board, with the Board giving it an MA15+ rating with the warning "strong science fiction violence".
On 11 August 2010, at a public forum Tony Abbott was asked a question about his views on the absence of an R18+ rating for video games and whether he has any policies relating to the subject. His reply was if the Coalition won the upcoming election he would be happy to examine the issue of an R18+ classification rating for video games. Although he admitted he did not know there had been a debate on the issue "If what happens with video games is not roughly analogous to what happens in other areas, that seems silly," he said. He added "Instinctively I'm with you, and it's something I'd be happy to look at, if we are in Government," finishing off with "If you think there is a problem, I would be happy to look at it." However the Liberal/National coalition led by Abbott did not win government, the Australian Labor Party retaining power through a coalition with Green and Independent members.
South Australian Attorney General Michael Atkinson has blocked attempts to introduce a R18+ for video games in Australia. In a letter on the subject, Atkinson stated, "I don't support the introduction of an R18+ rating for electronic games, chiefly because it will greatly increase the risk of children and vulnerable adults being exposed to damaging images and messages."
He withdrew his support for a discussion paper released for public consultation on the subject of an "R18+" rating. Unanimity from Atkinson and his fellow state and federal Attorneys-General is required for the introduction of the rating (or a change to that requirement). Australia's rating system lacked a classification for games above MA15+ at the time. It therefore lacked not only an equivalent rating to the ESRB's "AO" (adults only) rating but also an equivalent to its "Mature" (17+) rating.
In 2010, a few days after the Australian federal election the South Australian attorney general Michael Atkinson, who had been a stalwart opponent of the R18+ Classification for video games had resigned from the South Australian cabinet and instating a new attorney general, who was much more friendly to the idea of a R18+ classification for video games thereby paving the way for a decision by the Attorney General's meeting.
In December 2010, Attorney General Robert McClelland appeared to be moving on this issue following the release of telephone poll results conducted by the Minister for Home Affairs Brendan O'Connor, showing roughly 80% in support of a R18+ classification.
On 22 July 2011, at a meeting of State and Territories' Attorneys-General, An agreement was reached by a vote of 7–0 with NSW abstaining from voting for the introduction of an R18+ classification.
In 2012 in the wake of the Attorney General's decision, the Government of Australia agreed to introduce regulations for R18+ games by 1 January 2013, which it did.
In June 2013, "Saints Row IV" and "State of Decay" became the first video games to be refused classification since the introduction of an R18+ adults only rating, "Saints Row IV" for "interactive depictions of sexual violence" (one of the weapons in the game is an anal probe) and depicting illegal drugs as a power-up, and "State of Decay" for depicting drugs as a power-up.
Despite the introduction of a R18+ rating and the IARC guidelines on self-classification by consumers and developers, a record total of 220 games were banned in 4 months, due to the fact that there had been a backlog of unrated games and games release unrated onto differing platforms. Other than that relatively few high-profile games have been banned in Australia with the exception being for allegedly depicting a rape scene.
Books.
In regard to books, controversy erupted in early 2007, when the Attorney General banned on appeal Dr Philip Nitschke's voluntary euthanasia guide book "The Peaceful Pill Handbook". Published in the US, the book is now banned in Australia. Changes in 2001 to the Australian Customs Act means that it is also illegal to import the book into Australia. The plans of the Australian government to block the book's website saw the euthanasia activist Nitschke embark on a national tour of "Hacking Masterclasses" aimed at teaching the book's readers how to circumvent the planned government internet filter.
Enforcement of book bans is sometimes sporadic. In their book "TiHKAL", Dr. Alexander and Ann Shulgin state that their earlier work "PiHKAL", which was banned in Australia, was apparently standard issue among police and lawyers attending a court case in which Dr. Shulgin served as an expert witness for the defence.
"Lady Chatterley's Lover" was banned in Australia between 1929 and 1965, and a book describing the British trial, "The Trial of Lady Chatterley", was also banned. A copy was smuggled into the country and then published widely. The fallout from this event eventually led to the easing of censorship of books in the country and the eventual dissolution of the OFLC. In early October 2009, Australia Post banned the sale of the book in their stores and outlets claiming that books of this nature don't fit in with the 'theme of their stores'.
Other books that have been banned in Australia include "God's Little Acre", "Catcher in the Rye", "Appointment in Samarra", "Butterfield 8", "The Ginger Man", "Tropic of Cancer", "Tropic of Capricorn", "Another Country", "Naked Lunch", "Kama Sutra" and "The Thin Red Line"–all or most bans have since been lifted. In other cases, suits and threats end up with many booksellers withdrawing certain books; for example Ronan Farrow's "".
Films and television series.
In regard to films, a notable example is Pasolini's "Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma", which has twice been banned in Australia, and finally granted approval in April 2010. The Home Affairs Minister, Brendan O'Connor, asked the Classification Review Board to reassess the decision, however, the review failed to find any fault in the classification, and the film was released in September 2010.
Starting in 2000 with the film "Romance", a new crop of "arthouse" films that feature short scenes of actual sex have begun to attract closer scrutiny and in two controversial cases have been banned. The two banned films are:
"Baise-moi" was originally given an R18+ classification by the OFLC, however, this was overturned by the OFLC Classification Review Board some 6 months later after the Attorney General of the time, Daryl Williams, used his powers under Section 42(1)(a) of the Classification (Publications, Films and Computer Games) Act 1995. to request a Review of the classification.
The banning of "Ken Park" has attracted considerable media attention and political protest. Prominent movie reviewer Margaret Pomeranz, former host of "The Movie Show" on SBS and later the host of "At the Movies" on ABC, was arrested (and later cautioned and released) along with several others after attempting to screen at a hall what she described as "a wonderful film".
Tom Gleisner, host of "The Panel" (a prime-time comedy/panel discussion show), openly stated on the show that he had downloaded and watched the film. Former New South Wales Premier Bob Carr stated that he thought the banning of "Ken Park" and other films is inappropriate, and his Attorney-General Bob Debus would discuss changing the laws with other state Attorneys-General at a then upcoming meeting.
In 1994, Valhalla Holdings had "Urotsukidoji: Legend of the Overfiend" submitted to the OFLC. It was the first animated feature to be banned in Australia. A few months later the censored UK version of "Urotsukidoji" was submitted in order to meet the OFLC's standards. The rest of the "Urotsukidoji" series were released in censored UK versions.
In 1996, the former Attorney – General Phillip Ruddock had the OFLC review Manga Video Australia's, "Ninja Scroll". It was originally released in 1995 in Australia by Manga Entertainment Ltd. Australia after being given an MA15+ rating but this was overturned in 1996 when Phillip Ruddock had the anime reviewed after an uncut screening of the movie on SBS. The rating was then upgraded to R18+ by the review board.
"Violence Jack Volume 1" was banned outright, and Manga Australia and Polygram decided not to release "Violence Jack" in Australia.
The Internet and pornography.
In February 2006 Melbourne businessman Dean McVeigh attempted in court to shut down a website critical of him through a criminal contempt application, but was unsuccessful.
Starting in January 2010, customs officials have been directed by Australian federal government censors to confiscate any porn depicting female ejaculation. Such content has been deemed to be "golden showers" (an act of urinating on one's partner). However Fiona Patten, leader of the Australian Sex Party has stated, "Female ejaculation has now been described in scientific literature as being as real as male ejaculation and women's ejaculate is as different from urine, as men's is."


Margo (actress)

Margo (born María Marguerita Guadalupe Teresa Estela Bolado Castilla y O'Donnell, May 10, 1917 – July 17, 1985) was a Mexican-American actress and dancer. She appeared in many American film, stage, and television productions, including "Lost Horizon" (1937), "The Leopard Man" (1943), "Viva Zapata!" (1952), and "I'll Cry Tomorrow" (1955). She married actor Eddie Albert in 1945 and was later known as Margo Albert.
Early life and career.
Margo was born into a musically talented family in Mexico City in 1917. As a child, she trained as a dancer with Eduardo Cansino, the father of Rita Hayworth. At the age of nine, she began dancing professionally with her uncle Xavier Cugat and his band in performances at Mexican nightclubs. Margo travelled to the United States as a child, living in New York City with her aunt, singer Carmen Castillo. While accompanying her uncle's band during a performance at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, Margo was noticed by producer and director Ben Hecht and screenwriter Charles MacArthur, who cast the 15-year-old performer as the lead in their film "Crime Without Passion". Margo also played the character of Miriamne Esdras both on stage and in the 1936 film version of "Winterset", which one critic called a "cinemagoer's must." Other notable roles in the 1930s include parts in the 1937 film "Lost Horizon" and Broadway productions of Maxwell Anderson's "Masque of Kings" (1937) and Sidney Kingsley's "The World We Make" (1939).
Blacklisting.
While Margo continued to act in films until the 1960s, her career was curtailed by the television blacklist that began in 1950, with the targeting of Gypsy Rose Lee, Jean Muir, Hazel Scott, and Ireene Wicker. Margo was known for her progressive political views, but she was not a member of the Communist Party. In 1950, her name and that of her husband were published in "Red Channels", an anti-Communist pamphlet that purported to expose Communist influence within the entertainment industry. "Red Channels" labeled her a communist because of her support for the Hollywood Ten, her advocacy for peace, and her support for refugees.
In 1964 she played the role of Selena in the "Rawhide" episode "A Man called Mushy".
Albert's son spoke of his parents' blacklisting in an interview published in December 1972, crediting Albert's service during World War II with ultimately saving his career.
Eddie Albert's film career survived the blacklist, but Margo was blacklisted by the major Hollywood studios.
Arts activism and engagement.
In the years after the blacklist, Margo pursued her advocacy for arts and education. In 1970, along with Frank Lopez, a trade union activist, Margo founded Plaza de la Raza (Place of the People) in East Los Angeles. A cultural center for arts and education, Plaza de la Raza remains in operation today, providing year-round programming in arts education. Her work with Plaza de la Raza included serving as the artistic director and as chairperson of the board. Albert's commitment to the arts extended beyond her work in East Los Angeles: she served as a steering committee member on the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities and was a member of the board of the National Council of the National Endowment for the Arts.
Personal life and death.
Margo was married twice. In 1937 she wed actor Francis Lederer, but they divorced in 1940. In December 1945, three years after she became a naturalized citizen of the United States, she married actor Eddie Albert. She and Albert had two children, a son (actor Edward Albert) and a daughter (Maria Carmen Zucht, who served as her father's business manager). The couple remained together for 40 years, until 1985, when she died from brain cancer at age 68 in their home in Pacific Palisades, California. Her gravesite is in Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles.
Filmography.
This filmography of theatrical features is believed to be complete.


List of films by the Hollywood Ten

This is a list of films by the Hollywood Ten, who were cited for contempt of Congress and blacklisted after refusing to answer questions about their alleged involvement with the Communist Party USA. The Hollywood films of this period that were scrutinized by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) included spy and private eye thrillers, political melodrama and film noir.
HUAC echoed fears that movies could shape attitudes and affect both foreign and domestic politics. Investigators were especially focused on the screenwriter's guild. Screenwriters, in particular, were targeted by interest groups who sought to purge Hollywood of subversive and "Un-American" sentiments. Nine of the Hollywood Ten were screenwriters and several had worked on wartime films that contained explicitly "instructional" anti-fascist sentiment. They had been successful "planting messages" into officially sanctioned projects like "Tender Comrade" (1943), "Sahara" (1943), "Action in the North Atlantic" (1943), "The Cross of Lorraine" (1943), "None Shall Escape" (1944) and "The Master Race" (1944) and thus, it stood to reason, they could also add "subversive sentiments" into postwar films. The prevailing belief was that the screenwriter's guild was infiltrated by Communists who were trying to use propaganda to "subvert the American way." Films deemed "suspicious" by HUAC were rejected by film goers - some were pulled from circulation.
In a preliminary FBI report from 1943, the Los Angeles FBI identified seven released films that contained "Communist propaganda" and nine other films "that have been made or are now in the process of being made but have not yet been released" that contained "propaganda." The LA office stated that the screenwriters who write "propaganda material [are] known to be Communists or followers of the Communist party line." In reaction to the initial hearings of the Hollywood Ten, film studios released the Waldorf Statement where they agreed to create the blacklist barring the employment of Communists.
Some blacklisted filmmakers continued to make films. "Salt of the Earth" was written by Herbert Biberman, one of the Hollywood Ten, and made outside Hollywood with support from the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers.
Alvah Bessie.
Alvah Bessie's filmography can be found here.
Herbert Biberman.
Herbert Biberman's filmography can be found at IMDB.
Lester Cole.
Lester Cole's filmography can be found at IMDB.
Edward Dmytryk.
Edward Dmytryk's filmography can be found at IMDB.
Ring Lardner Jr..
Ring Lardner Jr.'s filmography can be found at IMDB.
John Howard Lawson.
John Howard Lawson's filmography can be found at IMDB.
Albert Maltz.
Albert Maltz's filmography can be found at IMDB.


Village cooperatives

Village cooperatives are cooperatives in rural areas that are engaged in the provision of community needs with agricultural activities. Village cooperatives may also be defined as an umbrella organization of social and economic character and as a forum for the development of rural economic activities organized by the community and for the community itself.


Minister of Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media

The Minister of Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media is a minister in the government of New Zealand with responsibility for Television New Zealand and Radio New Zealand. The current Minister is Kris Faafoi, member of the Labour Party.
History.
In 1936 the First Labour Government decided that broadcasting would be run by the state. As a result a government minister in charge of Broadcasting was appointed and new legislation (the Broadcasting Act 1936) was passed that abolished the existing New Zealand Broadcasting Board and established the new National Broadcasting Service in its place. A Director of Broadcasting was appointed and a Broadcasting Advisory Council formed as a result of the act to advise the minister. The Labour Party had specifically sought to broadcast parliamentary debates via radio as a means of allowing the public to listen and make their own judgment of events, rather than relying solely on the press, whom Labour were distrustful of.
Later the minister oversaw the introduction of television into New Zealand and became responsible for the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation (NZBC).
List of ministers.
The following ministers have held the office of Minister of Broadcasting.


Albert Bates

Albert Kealiinui Bates (born January 1, 1947) is an influential figure in the intentional community and ecovillage movements. A lawyer, author and teacher, he has been director of the Global Village Institute for Appropriate Technology since 1984 and of the Ecovillage Training Center at The Farm in Summertown, Tennessee, since 1994.
Bates has been a resident of The Farm since 1972. A former attorney, he argued environmental and civil rights cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and drafted a number of legislative Acts during a 26-year legal career. The holder of a number of design patents, Bates invented the concentrating photovoltaic arrays and solar-powered automobile displayed at the 1982 World's Fair. He served on the steering committee of Plenty International for 18 years, focussing on relief and development work with indigenous peoples, human rights and the environment. An emergency medical technician (EMT), he was a founding member of The Farm Ambulance Service. He was also a licensed Amateur Radio operator.
Life and work.
Bates first came to national prominence in 1978 when he sued to shut down the entire U.S. nuclear fuel cycle from mines to waste repositories. The case, which went four times to the United States Supreme Court and was later profiled in a law review article and two books, was ultimately unsuccessful but raised troubling questions about the health effects of nuclear energy and the ethical dimensions — and civil liberties implications — of the federal role in promoting power deployment while actively suppressing and concealing public health effects.
Bates has played a major role in the ecovillage movement as one of the organizers of the Global Ecovillage Network (GEN), and served as GEN's chairman of the board (from 2002 to 2003) and president (from 2003 to 2004). He was also the principal organizer of the Ecovillage Network of the Americas and served as its president (from 1996 to 2003). In 1994 he founded the Ecovillage Training Center, a "whole systems immersion experience of ecovillage living." He has taught courses in sustainable design, natural building, permaculture and technologies of the future to students from more than 50 nations.
Bates' "Climate in Crisis" (1990) was the first book published on web (rolled paper) press using a 100% recycled product without chemically removing clays or inks. Since then, he has been planting a private forest to sequester carbon dioxide and related greenhouse gas emissions from travel, business and personal activities. At 40 acres under mixed-age, mixed-species, climate-resilient management, primarily being managed for ecosystem services, that forest now annually plants itself as it expands.
Awards.
In 1980, Bates shared in the first Right Livelihood Award as part of the executive board of Plenty International. In 2012, he received the Gaia Award from Gaia Trust of Denmark for his efforts in fostering the ecovillage movement.
Published works.
Bates is author of many books on law, energy, history and environment, including:
"The Post-petroleum Survival Guide and Cookbook: Recipes for Changing Times", was published in 2006. In it Bates examines the transition from a society based on abundant cheap petroleum to one of "compelled conservation." The book looks at the ways of preparing for this transition. He regards the coming change as an opportunity to "redeem our essential interconnectedness with nature and with each other."
In his introduction, Bates outlines the realities of declining fossil energy and global climate change. He puts forward a "twelve step petrochemical addiction recovery program," from post-growth economics through methods to conserve fresh water, manage wastes, generate energy, produce and store food, and travel without the aid of fossil fuels. As a review by Ryan McGreal states: "The central message in this book is sustainability and permaculture. A recurring theme is that every waste product is something else's food, and that the most sustainable arrangement works with the prevailing conditions, not against them." McGreal summarizes Bates' proposals for human adaptation as follows:
Instead of wasting energy trying to fight nature, it makes more sense to understand nature and use it to your mutual benefit. This, of course, means the end of one-size-fits-all industrial solutions and a return to decentralized, idiosyncratic plans based on local conditions.
"The Biochar Solution: Carbon farming and Climate Change", was published in 2010. In it Bates traces the evolution of carbon-enriching agriculture from the ancient black soils of the Amazon to its reappearance as a modern climate restoration strategy.
In "The Biochar Solution", Bates repeats the urgency of declining fossil energy, especially in the context of chemical and energy-intensive progressive agriculture and global climate change. He proposes a carbon-oriented agricultural revolution that could double world food supplies while simultaneously building soil fertility and lowering atmospheric and oceanic concentrations of carbon. Bates suggests that, if sourced cautiously, biochar energy systems could eliminate fossil fuel dependency, bring new life to desertified landscapes, purify drinking water, and build carbon-negative homes, communities and economies. Peter Bane, the editor of Permaculture Activist, describes Bates' talents in this way:
If there is a smart, multi-functional, low-cost, democratic strategy that can help to pull carbon out of the atmosphere, it's probably in this book: chinampas, step-harvest planting of trees (with six times the carbon density per acre), harnessing youth to the task, agroforestry, greening the desert, uneven-aged forest management, carbon farming, the soil food web, and more. Each of these gets a relatively brief, punchy, and fairly technical description. Bates is a good and stylish writer; he has an ear for the pithy phrase, and reading him is generally a pleasure. This book, based on original scholarship, vast knowledge of a rapidly changing global field, and the arcana of many loosely linked disciplines brings the skills and interests of its polymath author together for a supremely important purpose.
Bates' "The Paris Agreement: the best chance we have to save the one planet we've got" was published just weeks after the close of COP-21, the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in December, 2015. The book follows Bates' year-long travels leading up to the Paris conference, the delicate and often fractious negotiations, and dissects the final document agreed to by 196 countries. It includes anecdotes from a range of surroundings, from inside the halls of Le Bourget to boating the Seine with indigenous peoples there to protest the talks.
In 2019, no fewer than four books by Bates were published by various publishers. In "Burn: Using Fire to Cool the Earth", Bates says we need to radically alter how humans live on Earth.
We have to go from spending carbon to banking it. We have to put back the trees, wetlands, and corals. We have to regrow the soil and turn back the desert. We have to save whales, wombats, and wolves. We have to reverse the flow of greenhouse gases and send them in exactly the opposite direction: down, not up. We have to flip the carbon cycle and run it backward. For such a revolutionary transformation we’ll need civilization 2.0.
"Burn" looks beyond renewable biomass or carbon capture energy systems to a new, circular economy in which energy, natural resources, and human ingenuity enter a virtuous cycle of improvement in time to save us from climate catastrophe and human extinction.
"Transforming Plastic", and a school edition, "Taming Plastic", Bates addresses the magnitude and consequences of another global problem. Bates emphasizes that the only way to stem the present onslaught of a material that endures forever is to enforce mandatory economic and industrial changes so that recycled, biosourced, and biodegradable plastic become more cost-effective than plastic made from fossil fuels. He explores current worldwide efforts for stronger regulations and better waste management, along with exciting new biological and man-made technologies for improved plastics collection and disposal.
In "A Side Door Introduction to The Farm", Bates brings together the observations of authors, reporters and casual observers over the first 50 years of his ecovillage's history, some positive but many critical. This short anthology contains many surprising insights into the mechanics of crafting a holistic, utopian vision and then trying to bring it into the world. It explains quite a lot about why the Farm has continued to thrive, now into four generations, after half a century of bet-your-life, whole-systems experimentation.


Jennifer Chan (artist)

Jennifer Chan is a Canadian media artist, curator, and programmer based in Toronto, Ontario. She is known for work that addresses how gender and race manifest in the fields of digital and online art, using amateur aesthetics inspired by pop culture, YouTube mashups, and millennial experience.
Early life and education.
Chan was born in Canada, but grew up in Hong Kong before returning to Canada. She completed a HBA in Communications, Culture, Information Technology at the University of Toronto Mississauga, graduating in 2010. She also earned a Diploma in Studio Art and Digital Communication from Sheridan College in 2010. She then attended Syracuse University, attaining a MFA in Art Video in 2013.
Career.
Her recent work focuses on the representation of masculinity and constructions of gender and race. She explores mediated tensions ranging from the mundane on one end of the spectrum, and provocation or controversy on the other, using video, object assemblage, websites, sound, and prints.
Notable works.
Chan's 2011 essay "Why Are There No Great Women Net Artists?" (a play on Linda Nochlin's 1971 essay "Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?") is an attempt to write women into the history of new media art.
Chan co-organized the online exhibition "Body Anxiety" with Leah Schrager, as a challenge to male-dominated digital and online art spaces.
In 2012, Chan was the "Canadian Spotlight" artist at Toronto's Images Festival where she exhibited a retrospective of single channel works, including her video "Screensaver" in which she eviscerates a pile of MacBooks with carving knives. Chan had a phone and email conversation with Canadian Art about six key lessons about challenging the internet. Her piece from the same year, "Young Money", which features white college boys surfing the internet and an anonymous man ejaculating on a pizza printed t-shirt.
In 2013, she was invited to contribute a sequence to The One Minutes (commissioned by the Sandberg Institute) as part of "Ways of Something," a net artists' remake of John Berger's Ways Of Seeing compiled by Lorna Mills. The video has screened at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (London), Fabrica (UK), MenShing Museum (Beijing), in Wooloomooloo (Taipei), and SongEun Art Space (South Korea), and was subsequently collected by the Whitney Museum of American Art.
In October 2018, Chan was included in the touring exhibition "Computer Grrrls," curated by Inke Arns and Marie Lechner, opening at the HMKV museum in Dortmund, Germany, before being scheduled to tour to La Gaîté Lyrique in Paris and MU in Eindhoven in 2019.
Commissions.
In 2015 Chan took part in the group exhibition "Paste," organized by Seize projects where she debuted her website "White Or Not Quite?" along with a public poster exhibited across Leeds city centre. She participated in ArtSlant's email newsletter project with Mindfulness Matters in which she invited the reader to answer the questions "Are You Living The Life You Always Wanted?", "Do you fall asleep fulfilled with everything you've done?", and "Spending time on your family?"
In 2017 she was commissioned by IOTA to create the new work "Important Men", in which the artist creates "her own oeuvre of male portraiture by photographing the important masculine influences in her life."
In 2018 Chan was commissioned to create "UX for Cats", a collaborative work made with Cat Bluemke, Jonathan Carroll, and Ben McCarthy for the 10th anniversary of Montreal-based gallery Eastern Bloc.


Toni Dove

Toni Dove is a New York-based artist working primarily in electronic and interactive media.
Career.
Dove is considered one of the pioneers of interactive cinema and has shown work at ZKM, the Banff Centre for the Arts, the Brooklyn Anchorage, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. She has been affiliated with Creative Time and Harvestworks, and a DVD version of scenes from her pieces has been distributed by Cycling '74. She is the granddaughter of American abstract painter Arthur Dove.
Dove has been working with interactive narrative since 1990. Her work blends cinematic tropes typical of studio-age film noir with contemporary narrative trends in science fiction, cybernetics, and new media, often offering a feminist take on popular genres. Dove refers to her work as "cyber-theatre" because it relies on virtual performers (avatars) rather than human actors and because she gives her audience partial control over the performance through the use of interactive technologies. In these hybrids of film, installation art, and experimental theater, the participants interact with an unfolding narrative movie, often using minimally invasive interface technologies such as speech recognition and computer vision to control or 'perform' their on-screen avatars.
Dove's 1994 piece entitled "Casual Workers, Hallucinations and Appropriate Ghosts" has been interpreted as belonging to the larger domain of radio because of its "aural evocation of high-tech street erotics".
In 2001 Toni Dove received funding from the Daniel Langlois Foundation to produce "Spectropia: A Ghost Story on the Infinite Deferral of Desire", the second part in a "trilogy of narrative, interactive installations begun in 1998". The first installment, "Artificial Changelings", dealt with "the emergence of compulsive consumerism in the 19th century" through a plotline centered on a heist. For this piece, Dove used floor mats as the basis for viewer interaction with the piece: moving around shifted the visitor's point of view among three options (first, second, and third person). Gestures made by visitors further affected how the piece was experienced. In the second installment, Dove continued her inquiry "into the subconscious at work in the capitalist society of the early 20th century".


The Net (American TV series)

The Net is an American drama series based on the 1995 film of the same name. The series starred Brooke Langton as Angela Bennett, the character Sandra Bullock played in the film. Produced in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, the series originally aired for one season on the USA Network from July 18, 1998 until canceled on March 27, 1999.
Synopsis.
Computer expert Angela Bennett (Brooke Langton) accidentally receives a top secret email with information about an elite terrorist organization called the Praetorians. Angela soon discovers that the Praetorians' goal is to take control of people's lives through the use of computers. The Praetorians become aware of Angela's knowledge of them and steal her identity, placing her new identity on the F.B.I.'s Ten Most Wanted List. Angela, with the help of an unidentified person named "The Sorcerer" (Curry), sets out to stop the Praetorians and win back her true identity while staying one step ahead of both the F.B.I. and the Praetorians.
Production.
The stunt coordinator for the series was David Jacox.
Home media.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released the complete series on DVD in Region 2 on May 15, 2006. It was also released on DVD in Region 4 on 21 March 2006.
The order of the episodes on the DVD release differs from the order in which they were aired on television (see above); airing episode #18 is #4, and episodes 5 and 6 are in reverse order, on the DVD release.
Mill Creek Entertainment released "The Net: The Complete Series" on DVD.


Bukola Saraki

Olubukola Abubakar Saraki, MBBS, CON (born 19 December 1962) is a Nigerian politician. He was the 13th President of the Senate of Nigeria from 2015 to 2019 and Chair of the 8th Nigeria National Assembly. He was previously the Governor of Kwara State from 2003 to 2011; and was elected to the Senate in 2011, under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), representing the Kwara Central Senatorial District, and then re-elected in the 2015 general elections under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He left the ruling party, All Progressive Congress (APC) and returned to his former party People's Democratic Party (PDP) becoming an opposition leader, on 31 July 2018. Saraki declared his presidential campaign for the PDP presidential ticket in the 2019 election, but lost the primaries to Atiku Abubakar. He was subsequently announced as the director general of Atiku Abubakar's presidential campaign for the 2019 presidential election, which he lost to incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari.
Family.
Olubukola Abubakar Saraki was born on 19 December 1962 in London to his mother Florence Morenike Saraki and his father Olusola Saraki, who was a Senator in the Second Nigerian Republic. Bukola Saraki is married to Toyin Saraki (née Ojora), they have four children together.
Education.
Saraki was educated at King's College, Lagos, where he graduated in 1978. He attended Cheltenham College, a public boarding school in the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1981. He then proceeded to London Hospital Medical College of the University of London from 1982 to 1987, where he received a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery.
Early career.
Saraki worked as a medical officer at Rush Green Hospital, Essex, from 1988 to 1989. He was a director of Société Générale Bank (Nig) Ltd from 1990 to 2000. In 2000, President Olusegun Obasanjo appointed Saraki as Special Assistant to the President on Budget.
Governor of Kwara State.
In 2003, Bukola Saraki ran for Governor of Kwara State on the platform of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) defeating the incumbent Governor Muhammed Lawal of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP). On 29 May 2003, he was sworn into office and was re-elected in 2007.
As governor of Kwara, Saraki led reforms in agriculture, infrastructure, health, education, power generation and environment policy. One of his major achievements was inviting displaced white farmers from Zimbabwe to Kwara State and offering them an opportunity to farm. This led to the establishment of Shonga Farms programme, which is now being replicated across Nigeria. He was also appointed as the chairman of the Nigeria Governors' forum.
Under Saraki, Kwara became the first state to complete the Nigeria Independent Power Project. In collaboration with the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, Saraki re-energised the Ganmo Power Station at Ilorin, and connected over 3750 rural communities to the national grid through the development and installation of 725 transformers and 7 substations. Kwara also completed 4 electrification projects which meant power became stable 18–22 hours a day. 90% of people living in Kwara have access to electricity, compared to a national average in Nigeria of 30%.
In 2007, Saraki became Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum. As chairman, Saraki increased his national influence and he led efforts for a more reformed and unified relationship with other states governors. The Forum also developed better and more extensive polio immunisation in Nigeria. Signing a number of Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs), with a number of international organizations including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, World Bank, DFID, GAVI, UNICEF, UNDP.
Senator.
In 2011, after the completion of his two term tenure as Governor of Kwara State, Saraki ran for Senator representing the Kwara Central Senatorial District. He won, succeeding his sister, Gbemisola Saraki-Forowa. He was appointed as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology and is also a member of the Senate Committee on Capital Markets and Finance. Senator Saraki has campaigned extensively on health, food security, education and the environment - arguing for strengthened laws on the clean up of oil spills. In 2010, Saraki intervened in the lead poisoning crisis in Zamfara State in 2010.
Saraki pushed a motion in the Senate to end the fuel subsidy regime in Nigeria, which has been an excessive waste of the country's national resources. Other motions and private member bills he has sponsored include the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency Amendment Bill 2012, the Gas Flaring Prohibition Bill 2012 and the Climate Change Commission Bill 2013. In 2013, Saraki established GLOBE Nigeria as an affiliate of the Global Legislators Organisation for a Balanced Environment (GLOBE International), establishing a platform for legislators to advance environmental and sustainable development laws in Nigeria. He currently serves as GLOBE Nigeria's president. Saraki has also spoken and campaigned internationally on issues such as better governance, deforestation and economic development.
President of the Senate.
After his re-election in 2015 general elections, he was on 9 June 2015 elected unopposed as President of the Senate by an across the party alliance comprising PDP and APC Senators. Saraki had faced stiff opposition from Senator Ahmed Ibrahim Lawan who was a preferred candidate by a group of senators-elect within the APC. His deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, emerged after a tightly contested election. Senate President Bukola Saraki and a delegation of Senators visited Maiduguri, Borno State on 3 August 2015 to get an on-ground assessment of the damage done in the north-eastern part of Nigeria by terrorist group Boko Haram and to give hope to internally displaced persons. The delegation was the first of its kind by the leadership of the Senate since the insurgency began.
During his presidency, the Senate under his leadership has surpassed all previous Senate's in Nigeria's history, passing 201 bills and clearing 138 public petitions. Recently, the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill which was passed by the Nigerian Senate was rejected by President Muhammadu Buhari stating that it reduces the President's powers. The bill had been passed by the Nigerian National Assembly to promote transparency and accountability in the industry. On 6 June 2019, Saraki gave the valedictory speech at the final plenary of the 8th Senate.
Elections.
In 2011, Saraki declared his candidacy for the Peoples Democratic Party for the presidentially primaries, but later stepped down in support of the northern consensus candidate Atiku Abubakar. Saraki is currently a member of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and was previously a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC). He defected from the All Progressives Congress on 31 July 2018, some days after 14 Senators defected to the opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP). He blamed his defection on intolerance of the influential persons of his former party. Saraki declared his presidential campaign for the PDP presidential ticket in the 2019 election, but lost the primaries to Atiku Abubakar.
He was subsequently announced as the director general of Atiku Abubakar's presidential campaign for the 2019 presidential election, which he lost to incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari. In the O to Ge movement, Saraki lost his Kwara Senatorial seat to APC's Dr. Ibrahim Oloriegbe. He polled a total of 68,994 votes against Oloriegbe's 123,808 votes in the four Local Government Areas of Kwara Central Senatorial District, leaving a margin of 54,814 votes.
Corruption.
Dr Bukola Saraki has consistently fought and rejected all claims of corruption against his person, and has won a series of court cases to that effect— He has also described the allegations as political vendettas and "witch-hunts" Unlike most of his political contemporaries, Saraki was significantly wealthy having earned a sizeable fortune from successful business ventures before joining politics in 2000.
Société Générale.
From 1990 to 2000, Saraki was a director of Société Générale Bank Nigeria (SGBN) Ltd. . The Directors of Societe Generale Bank would later be accused of mismanagement of depositors funds by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Chairman Nuhu Ribadu, who was later removed from office.
In 2012, following a series of court judgements SGBN rebranded into Heritage Bank, which is one of the most capitalised banks in Nigeria with over US$1.5 billion in assets. It also became clear that there were calculated machinations to bring down the bank in order to spite Saraki's image.
Paradise Papers.
In November 2017 an investigation conducted by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalism cited his name in the list of politicians named in "Paradise Papers" allegations. According to data released as part of the Panama Papers, Landfield International Developments Limited and Renocon Property Development Limited were controlled by Bukola Saraki but at the time of these revelations, none of these offshore holdings were reported in Saraki's official asset declarations.
In July 2018, the Supreme Court of Nigeria absolved Saraki of all charges brought against him by the Federal Government of Nigeria - declaring that Saraki's asset declarations throughout his public service career were "accurate and correct".
Paris Club loan.
The EFCC reportedly indicted aides of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki in an alleged laundering of up to N3.5 billion from the Paris Club Loan Refund. The EFCC investigation was presented to President Muhammadu Buhari in a report delivered on 10 March, five days before the Senate rejected acting EFCC chairman, Ibrahim Magu.
Offa robbery investigation.
On 5 April 2018, armed robbers attacked five commercial banks in Offa community, Kwara State, killing at least 30 persons, including police officers. Saraki was invited by the Nigeria Police for questioning—due to a plot by the Inspector General of Police to implicate him. However, he was subsequently cleared of all charges. Three years later, petitions were brought forward before the Kwara State Judicial Panel of Enquiry on End SARS on 6 January 2021, by two individuals alleging that officers of the disbanded Special Anti-robbery Squad (SARS) forced them to implicate Bukola Saraki in the 2018 Offa robbery through torture.
Illegal forfeiture of properties and return to Saraki.
On 16 July 2020, the federal high court in Lagos reversed an interim forfeiture order, and ordered the Federal Government to return Saraki's Ilorin, Kwara State, houses to him.
Trial.
Bukola Saraki became the first Senate President in Nigeria to be issued with arrest warrants, when Danladi Umar, Chairman of the Code Of Conduct Tribunal, issued an arrest warrant against Saraki on 18 September 2015.
Code of Conduct Tribunal.
The Code of Conduct Bureau cited an initial 13-count charge of corruption against Saraki in 2015. This was later increased to 22 charges. The charges related to his acquisitions while in office and making false declarations about his assets.
Nigerian statutes and code of conduct provisions do not prohibit public officers from taking loans nor purchasing properties in Nigeria or abroad, while Saraki was widely acknowledged to be a very wealthy international businessman prior to public office, as attested by the Code of Conduct Bureau which certified his pre-public office asset declarations. On 18 March 2016, Kanu Godwin Agabi, Saraki's lead counsel and ex-attorney general of Nigeria, led a delegation of 79 lawyers to defend Saraki at the tribunal.
Acquittal by Code of Conduct Bureau on Alleged False Declaration of Assets and Operating Offshore Assets.
On Wednesday, 14 June 2017, the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) sitting in Abuja discharged and acquitted Saraki of the 18-count charge of corruption in the false declaration of assets charge which was brought against him in September 2015 by the federal government. With this acquittal, the CCT laid to rest all controversies surrounding Saraki's alleged false declaration of assets, and the claim that as a public office holder, he operated offshore assets.
Court of Appeal.
Although the CCT judgment discharged Saraki of all 18 count charges on grounds that the prosecution failed to prove its allegations beyond reasonable doubt, the Federal Government of Nigeria, unexpectedly filed an appeal. The Court of Appeal then ordered the tribunal to try Saraki on three out of the 18 counts amended charges bordering on false declaration of assets brought against him by the Federal Government. The Appeal Court also held that the prosecution failed to adduce evidence to substantiate the 15 of the counts preferred against Saraki.
Supreme Court of Nigeria.
On Friday, 6 July 2018, the Supreme Court of the Federal Republic of Nigeria dismissed all 18 charges of corruption and false asset declaration brought against the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, by the Federal Government, following his election as Senate President. In a judgement on 6 July, a five-member panel of the Supreme Court, led by Justice Dattijo Mohammed, held that the decision of the appeal court to agree with the tribunal in one breath and order Mr Saraki's return to the CCT in another, amounted to a "judicial summersault." Therefore, the court affirmed the June 2017 decision of the Code of Conduct Tribunal which ruled that the prosecution failed to prove the case against Dr. Saraki.
Titles, styles and honours.
Titles and styles.
Saraki was made the Turaki of the Fulani emirate of Ilorin during his tenure as governor. A Turaki is an officer at court in the Hausa-Fulani kingdoms' chieftaincy systems. A number of years later, the Emir of Ilorin elevated him to the position of Waziri (or Prime Minister) of Ilorin. The title had previously been held by his father.


Desert rain frog

The desert rain frog, web-footed rain frog, or Boulenger's short-headed frog ("Breviceps macrops") is a species of frog in the family Brevicipitidae. It is found in Namibia and South Africa. Its natural habitat is the narrow strip of sandy shores between the sea and the sand dunes. It is threatened by habitat loss by such factors as mining and tourism.
Description.
The desert rain frog is a small, plump species with bulging eyes, a short snout, short limbs, spade-like feet, and webbed toes. On the underside, it has a transparent area of skin through which its internal organs can be seen. The size of this frog can span between . Its color is yellowish-brown and often has sand adhering to its skin.
It also has an unusually high-pitched cry similar to that of a squeaky toy.
Unlike most other species of frogs, it develops directly from the egg into adults without passing through the tadpole stage. It has a stout body, with small legs, which makes it unable to hop or leap – instead, it walks around on the sand. The frog does not require water in its habitat to survive. The frog possesses comparatively large bulging eyes.
Habitat.
The desert rain frog is mostly found on a small coastal strip of land about wide between the African countries of Namibia and South Africa. The small area of sand dunes often gets a lot of fog, which supplies moisture in an otherwise arid and dry region.
Behaviour.
The desert rain frog is nocturnal, spending the day in a burrow which is dug to a depth of where the sand is moist. It emerges on both foggy and clear nights and wanders about over the surface of the dunes. Its footprints are distinctive and are often found around patches of dung where it is presumed to feed on moths, beetles, and insect larvae. It digs its way into the sand in the morning and its presence in a locality can be deduced from the little pile of loose sand dislodged by its burrowing activities. Breeding is by direct development of eggs laid in its burrow, and there is no aqueous tadpole stage. It produces a high-pitched squeaking sound when provoked, often known as a war cry.
Status.
The frog's total habitat range is smaller than and is fragmented and the number of individual frogs seems to be decreasing. It is threatened by habitat loss caused by opencast diamond mining and road construction, as well as increased human settlement.


The Myspace Transmissions (NOFX EP)

The MySpace Transmissions EP is a live EP recorded by the band NOFX.


Dove Real Beauty Sketches

Dove Real Beauty Sketches is a short film produced in 2013 as part of the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty marketing campaign. The aim of the film is to show women that they are more beautiful than they think they are by comparing self-descriptions to those of strangers.
In the video, which was produced by the Ogilvy & Mather ad agency, several women describe themselves to a forensic sketch artist who cannot see his subjects. The same women are then described by strangers whom they met the previous day. The sketches are compared, with the stranger's image invariably being both more flattering and more accurate. The differences create strong reactions when shown to the women.
The film created a sensation upon its online release in April 2013, quickly going viral. More than 15 million people downloaded the video within a week of its release. Media reaction to the video was mixed. "The Daily Telegraph" called it "[Dove's] most thought provoking film yet", while "Forbes" said it was "powerful", but their reviewer felt that "it’s still focusing too much on appearance."
Background.
Inspired by market research that suggested only 4% of women describe themselves as beautiful (up from 2% in 2004), and around 54% believe that when it comes to how they look, they are their own worst beauty critic, Unilever's Dove brand has been conducting a marketing campaign called Dove Campaign for Real Beauty that aims to celebrate women's natural beauty since 2005. According to Anselmo Ramos, creative director of Ogilvy & Mather, and head of the Real Beauty Sketches project, the goal of the Real Beauty Campaign is to find a way to convince the other 96% they are also beautiful.
Several ideas to achieve this aim were suggested, and it was decided that an unscripted experiment would be the best way to reach women. The idea of hiring a forensic sketch artist stood out, but Ramos was not sure it would work. "With "Real Beauty Sketches", we thought that women would probably describe themselves in a more negative way than strangers. But it was just a guess really ... It could go totally wrong." Dove agreed and Ogilvy & Mather hired FBI-trained sketch artist Gil Zamora after "extensive research" because of his experience (3,000+ criminal sketches) and intimate style. According to Ramos, Zamora was "really excited about the project" and was crucial to its success. Ogilvy & Mather selected two groups of women - those being sketched and those providing a second description of them - from diverse backgrounds through a normal casting process. John X. Carey from Paranoid US was chosen to direct. A three-minute long video was launched in four key markets, U.S., Canada, Brazil and Australia, and was then produced and uploaded in 25 languages to 46 Dove YouTube channels across remaining countries. The video was launched using TrueView in-stream, TrueView in-search, YouTube homepage masthead, and search ads globally. Audience participation via YouTube brand channels, YouTube video responses, Google+ Hangouts, and a Google+ page was encouraged.
Description.
The selected women were asked to come to a loft in San Francisco, but were not told why. After meeting each other, the women were taken one at a time into a room where Gil Zamora asked the women to describe themselves from behind a curtain. The women were told to use neutral terms and stick to the facts in their descriptions. Zamora sketched each woman based only on her self-description. The next day the same woman was described by a stranger whom they had met in the loft. The two sketches were then shown to the subjects. The whole thing was recorded and the results were turned into a six-minute film entitled "Dove Real Beauty Sketches". A shorter three-minute version was also released.
In the films, each of the women describe themselves in a predominately negative way. For example, they use phrases such as "rounder face," "protruding jaw," and "big forehead." In contrast, the strangers use more positive language to describe the same person. In all cases the second sketch is more flattering, and more accurate, than the first. The dramatic differences in the sketches cause tears and other strong reactions when each woman is shown her two portraits. "We spend a lot of time as women analyzing and trying to fix the things that aren't quite right, and we should spend more times appreciating the things we do like," explains one participant. "Do you think you're more beautiful than you say?" Zamora asks another woman. "Yes," she admits. The film ends by stating "You are more beautiful than you think" and then shows the Dove logo.
Reaction.
The films were released on April 14, 2013 and quickly generated a strong reaction, going viral within days. By April 18, the 3-minute version had been downloaded 7.5 million times, while the 6-minute version had been viewed more than 900,000 times. By April 21, the videos had more than 15 million views between them. On Mashable, an article about the campaign was shared more than 500,000 times in 24 hours. The video was among Buzzfeed's top 10 items on April 18. According to "AdAge", the campaign generated just under 30 million views and 660,000 Facebook shares during its first ten days. Those numbers allowed the video to more than double up on its nearest competition in the publication's week survey of viral video advertisement interest. As of April 27, 2013, the 3-minute video had been viewed 30.6 million times; user feedback on YouTube was 97.6% positive (98,000 likes and 2,200 dislikes). By June 2013, the video received 163 million global views, topped Cannes YouTube Ads leader board and won the Titanium Grand Prix at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Overall it achieved 4.6 billion media impressions and 275,000 followers on Google+. Over 15 video parodies of the ad have been created so far. The campaign garnered over 4.6 billion Public Relations and blogger media impressions by June 2013.
Mainstream media quickly took notice, with mixed reaction. Writing for "The Daily Telegraph", Katy Young called "Real Beauty Sketches" "[Dove's] most thought provoking film yet ... Moving, eye opening and in some ways saddening, this is one campaign that will make you think, and hopefully, feel more beautiful." "Adweek" analyst Rebecca Cullers called the video "one of the most original and touching experiments" to come from Dove in a long time. In a "Huffington Post" article, Emma Gray remarks "despite the obvious commercial intentions behind this campaign, the message rings true and is a refreshing departure from the many female-targeted ads that try to shame women into buying things."
Avi Dan of "Forbes" said the video presents "an extraordinary, powerful image", but added "ironically it implies, if not actually stated, that beauty is still what defines women. The video pretends to debunk the notion that how you look always seems to be more important than who you are. But I feel like it’s still focusing too much on appearance." Additional, Dan was bothered that all of the women in the video are young and thin, and most are white. In a "Psychology Today" article, Kate Fridkis said she liked the concept of the film but "something felt a little off." "In Dove’s world, as in the real world of beauty standards, there is definitely a better and a worse way to look," she remarked "it’s just that, according to Dove, women are often mistaken about which side they’re really on." Writing for "Bloomberg", Virginia Postrel noted that the "experiment" was not scientifically valid - the participants were not randomly selected, the sketch artist deviated from normal procedure (he didn't show the women the sketches and ask them to confirm they were accurate at the time of the drawings), and the video editors chose only seven out of about 20 women used. She quoted forensic sketch artist Stephen Mancusi, who said, "it’s a tainted image, there’s no question about it.” In the blogosphere, the video drew harsher criticism prompting "Adweek" to write an article entitled "5 Reasons Why Some Critics Are Hating on Dove's Real Beauty Sketches Video".
In response to the criticism, Will Burns of "Forbes" wrote a column countering the criticisms. He argued that critics were being selective in what they observed: of the seven women in the video, three were minorities; they ignored descriptors like "nice eyes that lit up when she spoke" instead focusing only comments that mentioned youth or weight; and they took comments out of context. He states that the ""Sketches" idea is so altruistic in its intent that it’s technically counter to [Dove's] own sales mission ... it tells women] they don’t need as much Dove as they think." He concludes "If you want to hammer a brand, hammer the cosmetic companies who overtly say you’ll be more beautiful with their products. But don’t hammer Dove."
Brenda Fiala of Blast Radius, a digital advertising agency, said the "Sketches" campaign was successful because it taps into deep-seated emotions and "hits on a real human truth for women. Many women undervalue themselves and also the way they look." Ramos agreed: "Most ads today don’t evoke any clear emotion, they just communicate a particular product or service benefit. We wanted to do something really emotional ... We knew we had something good in our hands." "Adweek" remarked "like all of the best work, the commercial elements are barely there. Beyond the logo, Dove doesn't even attempt to sell soap." Fiala predicted that consumers would remember the positive emotions the video caused and associate them with Dove products.
A male parody video also went viral, collecting more than a million views in less than a week. The Onion's Clickhole parodied the video, and other inspiring viral ad campaign videos, in January 2015.


Alan Faena

Alan Diego Faena (born 20 November 1963, in Buenos Aires) is an Argentine hotelier and real estate developer who has developed properties in his native Buenos Aires, as well as Miami Beach, Florida.
Faena is the founder and President of Faena Group. He is a member of the Tate International Committee and the New Museum Leaders Council. He previously founded Via Vai in 1985, an Argentinian fashion label, and worked as a fashion designer.
Early life.
Faena is the son of a textile manufacturer. He was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1963.
Career.
Early career.
In 1985, Faena followed in his parents footsteps into the textile industry and founded the fashion label Via Vai at age 19. He launched the brand with 50 colored shirts he funded himself. The brand expanded to include ready-to-wear collections and a denim line. Faena sold the company in 1996.
Faena Buenos Aires.
Faena was a fashion designer for over ten years before beginning a career in real estate development in 2000. He partnered with Len Blavatnik, Philippe Starck and Foster + Partners to redevelop abandoned docklands in the Puerto Madero neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Foster + Partner's residential condominium in re-development was their first project in South America. The Faena Hotel designed by Starck opened in 2004.
The Faena District, which is estimated to be a $200 million development, is the most valuable real estate in Buenos Aires. The Faena Arts Center, a converted flour mill located in the center of the district, opened in September 2011 and displays the work of local and international artists.
In November 2011, German artist Franz Ackermann exhibited the results of his voyages around Buenos Aires with the largest mural of his career in the center. The Cuban duo Los Carpinteros debuted their first solo exhibition in Buenos Aires at the arts center in May 2012.
Faena Miami Beach.
Faena expanded his brand to Miami Beach with a $1 billion project to develop a six block waterfront property. Construction on the Miami Beach Faena District began in 2013.
The project includes the restoration of the 1948 Saxony hotel, and an arts center, Faena Forum, by architect Rem Koolhaas and OMA and residences by Foster + Partners.
Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin are also involved in the project as designers for the interior of the Faena Hotel Miami Beach.
The district will be landscaped by Miami-based firm Raymond Jungles. The Faena House, an 18-story residential unit, is the project's first building scheduled for completion.
Personal life.
Faena was married to Ximena Caminos, the couple having a son together. They separated in 2009. Faena resides in Miami, Buenos Aires, and Punta del Este, Uruguay.
Paradise Papers.
On 5 November 2017, the Paradise Papers, a set of confidential electronic documents relating to offshore investment, revealed that Faena was director and CEO of half a dozen offshore companies in Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands. Faena also appears with bank accounts in Luxembourg and the Isle of Man, linked to different hotels and real estate projects in Puerto Madero.