The Null Device

Posts matching tags 'playboy'

2007/4/5

The editor of the Indonesian edition of Playboy has been acquitted of indecency. While pornography is widely available in the populous Islamic country, the local edition of Playboy has avoided taking risks, and it is probably safe to say that most of its readers really do get it just for the articles:

The Indonesian version of the magazine went on sale for the first time last April, featuring several scantily-clad models but no nudity.
Arnada would have faced two years in prison, if convicted and his magazine welcomed the ruling. "Playboy Indonesia never has and will never publish nude photos or other forbidden materials," it said in a statement.
This ruling has not been enough for hardline Islamist groups, who have threatened to "declare war" on the magazine, and conservatives who are pushing for strict new decency laws. Though given the wide availability of locally-produced pornography, chances are the conservatives' objection is not to Playboy's mildly racy content but to the American/Western cultural values it and its name symbolise.

Meanwhile, Thailand has blocked access to YouTube, after the site refused to remove a video insulting the king (by showing graffiti over his face). Thailand takes insulding the king very seriously; just recently, a Swiss man was jailed for ten years for defacing posters of the monarch.

One thing I'm wondering: would Thailand have blocked YouTube had this happened before last year's military coup?

asia authoritarianism censorship indonesia playboy porn religiots thailand youtube 0

2006/7/8

A furore has erupted with the publication of the Indonesian edition of Playboy. While it is a lot tamer than Western editions (the excuse of buying it only for the articles would probably be more plausible there), Islamists are still calling for severe punishments for all involved, and the editor and centrefold model are facing imprisonment:

The magazine has been targeted by opponents as a symbol of Western decadence and the row has led to calls for tough anti-pornography laws outlawing "sensual behaviour", revealing clothing, even kissing in public. It is part of a concerted push to impose sharia law throughout Indonesia, a campaign that Abu Bakar Bashir, the former spiritual leader of the Jemaah Islamiah terrorist network, vowed to spearhead on his release from prison last month.
Rock-throwing protesters tried to ransack Playboy's Jakarta office when the first edition appeared in April, so Arnada relocated to the more tolerant island of Bali.
He published a second edition last month, with numerous blank pages after advertisers withdrew their support following threats by the Islamic Defenders Front.
Meanwhile, feminist groups there have spoken out in the defense of Playboy.

culture islam islamism playboy porn religioncensorship 0

2003/4/28

Apparently the third Black Box Recorder album, Passionoia, is out, at least in the civilised world. No word on an Australian release date yet; though I wouldn't be surprised if Steve Wide was spinning it on 3RRR. I'll have to get it. (It's out on One Little Indian (Björk's label) in the UK; not sure about other territories, though Jetset may still be doing their US releases.)

Oddly enough, the first I heard about it was that Sarah Nixey was featured in Playboy's "b4b3z of indie rock" poll (via Rocknerd). I guess they need some filler to run before they do a "Women of Newly Liberated Iraq" feature or something.

black box recorder playboy 2

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