Monday, February 23, 2015

Scary Pictures

Apparently google is spineless, cowering to the emotionally disabled conservative lobby, declaring that nudity and sexuality are shameful and offensive. In that light, this blog will inform of my books and offer a small sample of my photography.

14 comments:

  1. I just got my e-mail today - rather than try and maintain a blog that I rarely post to, I am going to take mine down for the most part. I will leave links to my other places for a while but, they too will eventually vanish. Always loved the work you do and will continue to do so.

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    1. Thank you, Jonitron.

      I've enjoyed and appreciated your comments through the years, letting me know you'd stopped by. I hope there is always a place, or rather many places, creative, evolved, imaginative, intelligent and mature places, to share our work.

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  2. This is all news to me!! I don't want to lose you not after just finding you.

    I agree, your work is purely artistic. The picture here is JOYFUL and PLAYFUL. You fill me with joy and frolic and you take me places I cannot imagine. I love your stories and I even learn about nature from you.

    I look forward to visiting you and your blog every day. Please don't leave me now.

    Much Love, Ginger Mickey

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    1. Thank you for your note, Ginger Mickey.

      Yesterday google dispatched an e-mail announcing explicit nudity and sexuality would no longer be permitted on blogger. They allowed until March 23rd to remove such material and stated that blogs that did not comply would be locked to the public.

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    2. You are more than just a nude model and I bet most of your readers and followers will agree. It's a terrible thing that your expressionism is being challenged, but I would like to suggest that you can successfully change the current direction of your blog.

      Simply get rid of those pictures you think would offend their sensibilities, and express yourself in other ways that will stimulate our imaginations. You have a great imagination and I bet you even stimulate yourself!

      You're an artist, and you can still express yourself in wonderfully natural terms, and in new visual ways! Try using a "tong" or more appropriately "a loin cloth" or some various other costumes (another creative outlet). Your trail guide can help you set up your scenes.

      Sexy works great even in very subtle ways. You have great stories inside you just waiting for you to express them.

      If you want to go to Tumbler with your nude expressionism, please let me know how to find you. I want your new book and I love reading your stories and thoughts.

      Please don't let this upset you and change your attitude. Let it challenge you. You are the most adventurous guy I know and an amazing writer and model. Tickle my imagination and then let me fill in the blanks.

      Your friend, G.M.

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    3. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I appreciate your encouragement and suggestions.

      In most of my photographs I cover what is usually bared, and bare what is usually covered. I 'dress backwards' to illustrate that skin is skin, the body one healthy entity, not a composite of 'good' parts and 'bad' parts. Nakedness is natural and healthy; shaming, soiling and vilifying certain body parts cannot be intelligently or reasonably defended, and is anything but healthy.

      I write this just to let you know that covering what google deems 'offensive' would not only compromise what I stand for, but would essentially rip the very heart out of my work.

      I will be posting here when my book, Tomass Hawkke's Wildbush Trail, is completed.

      Thank you again, Ginger Mickey, for taking the time to comment so thoughtfully.

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    4. Tomass, according to The Guardian, "Google has backtracked on plans to ban sexually explicit images from its blogging platform Blogger, in the face of widespread opposition from users. The company had initially announced a ban on “sexually explicit or graphic nude images or video”, with just a few exceptions for content which offered “a substantial public benefit, for example in artistic, educational, documentary, or scientific contexts”. It planned to enforce the ban from 23 March, when any user with offending material still on their blog would be forced to turn it into a private site. Now, the company has backed down. Jessica Pelegio, a social product support manager at Google, wrote: “We’ve had a ton of feedback, in particular about the introduction of a retroactive change (some people have had accounts for 10+ years), but also about the negative impact on individuals who post sexually explicit content to express their identities. “So rather than implement this change, we’ve decided to step up enforcement around our existing policy prohibiting commercial porn.” YAYYYYY!! You can stay here and continue your art as you wish to express yourself. So many of us must have written to Google to complain about their new policy. I am so happy for you!!

      Much Love,
      Ginger Mickey

      P.S. Here is the link to the Guardian article.
      http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/feb/27/google-backtracks-on-porn-ban-in-blogger

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    5. Thank you for letting me know, Ginger Mickey, and for all your support. It would have been great if they'd considered that people had put years of work into their blogs before they dictated the change.

      Now that I've stripped my blog bare, so to speak, I may still move to WordPress. They appear to have a far more mature and reasonable content policy.

      Anyway, Tomass Hawkke's Naked Nature will be at blogger for a while yet.

      Thanks again.

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  3. Tom-tom my blog is going too but you may try tumbir
    my site will be - rugger.tumbir.com - but no change to my email
    love ya always bro x

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    1. Thanks for letting me know, Pete.

      I've always had a tumblr blog at the ready, just in case, but I'm not sure what I'm going to do at this point.

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  4. Tomass, I am just now getting wind of this and am very upset to the point of needing a stiff gin with bromide. I am still confused what blogs are affected and not and if I need worry. I have not received anything...yet. But what is outraging to me, is the pleasure being taken away from true artist like yourself with many talents. If you change platforms please keep us abreast or email me at vanaukensteven@yahoo.com. Will you continue posting till the day, or will take the private avenue? I see from above you have a Tumbr at the ready...smart. I would also be interested in your book when it comes out too, that's why I am asking. I have enjoyed you, your work and this blog and would miss you greatly. I swear bastards and censorship will ruin art yet.

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    1. Thank you for your support, Maddie. I've been refreshed and uplifted both by your blog and your kind words and cheerful comments when you stop by.

      Art and freedom are in peril these days; what is frustrating and disappointing is that fewer and fewer people seem to care.

      I haven't decided what I am going to do in regard to posting my photography. I will be maintaining this blog to post updates regarding my plans and the availability of my book.

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  5. Nooooooooo, don't go. I got their nastygram and switched to WordPress last night. It wasn't bad. There's an export function on Blogger and an import one on WordPress. You just put them together and everything moves over to WP.

    As for deleting images the Google pinheads might or might not find offensive; FUCK THAT. This is nothing but heavy-handed censorship.

    Besides how will you know what's what? I had two of my readers comment, one that has no nude pictures and no Adult Content warning on his blog and one that has no blog whatsoever that they got this warning too. I think Google plans on taking an ax to everything that isn't christian mommies sharing cookie recipes.

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    1. Hi there mrpeenee. Thank you for your comments.

      I have a tumblr blog, just a page with a picture and a link to this blog. I'm not thrilled with the tumblr format. I had a WordPress blog for a while too, and liked it, so I may go that route.

      Trouble is, I don't 'trust' any of them not to leap on the backward busybody bandwagon.

      There must be money in catering to a few timid little spiritually-fucked cry babies; I imagine money is the only reason google does anything.

      Why are these zealots looking if they are so offended? The choice to view should be left to the individual, not dictated by some fool who hasn't the interest, curiosity, imagination or courage to explore, enjoy and/or understand the very thing he wants to censor.

      Meddling twits so full of self-loathing, shaming themselves to sickness swallowing their perfectly natural thoughts and feelings, can't stand for a moment that anyone else is healthy and content about their bare naked humanness.

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