1. Ex-armory turns into porn site
2. Porn company buys historic SF armory for $14.5 million
3. I immerse myself in great danger for your entertainment
4. Felonies against trooper from Lower Macungie tossed
5. Fetish Fair, unwelcome in Mansfield, comes to North Shore
6. Defense: Client didn't think anyone would die
7. Portsmouth Police Trying To Curb Swingers' Parties
8. In upside-down S.F., porn is OK in the Mission, but housing isn't
9. Neighbors upset about nearby sex shop
1. Ex-armory turns into porn site
2. Porn company buys historic SF armory for $14.5 million
3. I immerse myself in great danger for your entertainment
4. Felonies against trooper from Lower Macungie tossed
5. Fetish Fair, unwelcome in Mansfield, comes to North Shore
6. Defense: Client didn't think anyone would die
7. Portsmouth Police Trying To Curb Swingers' Parties
8. In upside-down S.F., porn is OK in the Mission, but housing isn't
9. Neighbors upset about nearby sex shop
Ex-armory turns into porn site:
Kink, a Web-based pornography distributor, buys historic S.F. building to film its bondage movies
by Steve Rubenstein
The San Francisco Chronicle
January 13, 2007
A friendly band of San Francisco pornographers can't wait to get inside the old armory on Mission Street and start tying people up, artistically.
Not only tying them up, but also spanking them, swatting them, cuffing them and whipping them, with sensitivity.
"This is going to be very exciting,'' said porn director James Mogul. "What an opportunity.''
The other day, Mogul paid a visit to the cavernous old armory, just to look around. The Moorish-style brick building was recently purchased for $14.5 million by Kink, a Web-based pornography distributor that outgrew its South of Market dungeon.
The armory, built in 1912, served as a military induction and training center during the two world wars. It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places but has been empty since 1970. In recent years, plans to build apartments, offices and an Internet switching facility never got off the ground.
Filming could begin inside the 200,000-square-foot armory as early as next month. To get ready for that happy day, Mogul wandered the crumbling corridors of the enormous dark and dank basement, scouting locations.
"I see tied-up girls, right here,'' Mogul said, standing in what was the soldiers' gymnasium. "You suspend them from these arches. This will be very cool.''
"I see erotic whipping,'' he said. "I see all kinds of kinky things going on in here. It's wonderful to put soft human flesh next to ugly, industrial machines. That's what we call juxtaposition. The possibilities are endless.''
Mogul, a 41-year-old filmmaker from Boston, said many pornographers went to fancy film schools to learn their craft, but he never found that necessary.
"I got my start tying up my girlfriend,'' he said. "It all took off from there.''
Mogul writes, directs and produces an hourlong porn film every week for "Men in Pain,'' one of nine Web sites in the Kink chain. At last count, about 70,000 subscribers worldwide were paying $25 a month to gain access to the Web sites, according to founder and owner Peter Acworth, the fellow who bought the armory.
Residents aren't quite sure what to make of their new neighbor. Luis Granados, the executive director of the Mission Economic Development Association, said his group found it had no legal grounds to object to having a pornographer next door.
"Whatever you might think about what they're doing, it's perfectly legal,'' he said. "Do I think it's a good fit for our family-based neighborhood? No, I don't.''
Kink will do its part to fit in, said Acworth, pledging to fix the broken windows and the graffiti right away. Kink is proud to bring its high standards to the neighborhood, he added, because Kink stands for decency in pornography. "We have values,'' Acworth said. "We believe in showing respect toward women in our work.''
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To read this entire article, go to: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/01/13/BAG0INI8PD1.DTL To respond, write to: the author at srubenstein@sfchronicle.com or the editors at letters@sfchronicle.com
Porn company buys historic SF armory for $14.5 million
Associated Press
report via The San Francisco Chronicle
January 13, 2007
A company that makes and distributes bondage and other pornographic films has purchased an old brick armory that was once used as a military induction and training center during the two world wars.
"This is going to be very exciting," said porn director James Mogul. "What an opportunity."
The Moorish-style brick building in San Francisco's Mission District was recently purchased for $14.5 million by Kink, a Web-based pornography distributor that outgrew its South of Market dungeon.
Built in 1912, the armory is listed on the National Register of Historic Places but has been empty since 1970. In recent years, plans to build apartments, offices and an Internet switching facility never got off the ground.
Kink's movie directors see the real, ready-made dungeon as just the thing for filming bondage movies.
Filming could begin inside the 200,000-square-foot armory as early as next month.
In the boiler room, Mogul said, the possibilities are endless.
"You could put a girl right inside the boiler," he said. "Why not? It's a nice little chamber. You wouldn't have to change anything."
[continued]
To read this entire article, go to: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/01/13/state/n211144S27.DTL To respond, write to: letters@sfchronicle.com
I immerse myself in great danger for your entertainment
by Joseph Newhard
The Sentinel (Ohio State University)
January 12, 2007
"Dude, this place is weird."
I heard these words uttered from an unknown patron entering a club one recent Saturday night, and truer words have never been spoken. On our left, a female was bound to a rack and being flogged like 17th century heretic. On our right, a male was being electro-shocked by an enchanting young nymphet. A crowd had gathered, I included, standing fixated on the whole scene.
We were at The Outland, a club on the south side of Columbus which sits inside an old grocery store near Clipper Stadium. That may be an unusual location for a club, but The Outland is anything but typical; it is a club that caters to goths and anyone else interested, or addicted, to the BDSM lifestyle. When a friend recently told me that we needed to hang out more often, it is doubtful he had this place in mind.
BDSM of course is the combination of three acronyms: BD (Bondage and Discipline), DS (Domination and Submission), and SM (Sadism and Masochism). I've been hearing about The Outland for years, but it took a Sentinel deadline and a case of writer's block to finally persuade me to go and see the orgy of prurient violence for myself. I presciently imagined I would see acts involving spanking, whipping, electro-torture, and lots of leather chaps and chest harnesses, and I was right.
There were plenty of sexy girls cloaked in dresses and boots, dominatrices were abound, and at least one girl was led around on a leash by someone presumed to be her master, I mean boyfriend. Lots of hot gothic lolitas danced out on the floor by themselves or with each other, waiting to be approached by some young vampire-type with a penchant for sadism and an arsenal of bondage apparatuses.
At this point the club was packed and an audience had begun to congregate by the flogging station where a train of masochistic exhibitionists took turns being whipped by dominant men and women alike. An observer by nature, I decided not to attempt to participate even for the purposes of this article. Instead I enjoyed the show from a safe distance surrounded by men, women, and someone decidedly male ensconced in a black dress, pantyhose and boots.
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To read this entire article, go to: http://media.www.osusentinel.com/media/storage/paper1151/news/2007/01/12/Culture/A.Walk.On.The.Wild.Side-2629863-page2.shtml?sourcedomain=www.osusentinel.com&MIIHost=media.collegepublisher.com To respond, go to: http://www.osusentinel.com/home/lettertotheeditor/ or comment via link at bottom of article
Felonies against trooper from Lower Macungie tossed
by Debbie Garlicki
The Morning Call (Allentwon, PA)
January 12, 2007
A Lehigh County judge has dismissed two felony charges against a state trooper accused of posting photos of his nude ex-wife on a bondage and sadomasochism Web site.
In a ruling handed down Monday, Judge Robert L. Steinberg found that the prosecution can proceed with lesser, misdemeanor charges of identity theft and harassment against Luke J. Heller of Lower Macungie.
The case involves novel issues of whether the state Legislature intended certain computer crimes to apply in cases such as this.
Because there have been no similar cases where these charges have been filed, the judge had to research the legislative history of the statutes, look at similar laws in other states and determine what lawmakers meant.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Matthew Falk said he is considering an appeal to the state Superior Court, whose ruling could set statewide precedent on appropriate charges in cases like Heller's.
Heller, 36, a 14-year veteran of the state police assigned to the Dublin barracks, was suspended after authorities accused him of putting his ex-wife's photos, name, date of birth and other information on a Web site. The site contained an invitation to engage in violent sexual acts.
But the site had an incorrect address for the woman, who was contacted by someone who had visited the site.
Falk had argued Heller's actions interrupted the normal functioning of his ex-wife's life.
Steinberg said that position wasn't supported by any case law or the legislative history of the statute and that the unlawful-use charge was created to prevent interruption of the normal functioning of a person's computer.
He ruled that the law was intended to thwart hackers.
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To read this entire article, go to: http://www.mcall.com/news/local/allentown/all-b1-5hellerjan12,0,3280556.story?coll=all-newslocalallentown-hed To respond, write to: the author at debbie.garlicki@mcall.com or the editors at letters@mcall.com or comment at bottom of article
Fetish Fair, unwelcome in Mansfield, comes to North Shore
by Matthew K. Roy
The Salem News (MA)
January 11, 2007
Having met resistance elsewhere, the New England Leather Alliance is bringing its "Fetish Fair Fleamarket" to the North Shore.
The fair, featuring more than 100 exhibitors selling erotic merchandise, everything from "corsets and boots to dungeon furniture and restraints," is scheduled for three days – Jan. 26 through 28 – at the Sheraton Ferncroft. Organizers made a last-minute move here from Mansfield because of a dispute over a permit requirement.
A lucky geographical break – the Sheraton Ferncroft is in both Danvers and Middleton – could spare the New England Leather Alliance from similar headaches on the North Shore. Vendors will be setting up shop in the hotel's grand ballroom, which is in Middleton. And unlike Danvers, Middleton hasn't designated a section of town for adult businesses to operate.
Building Commissioner Bob Camacho said yesterday he would take a closer look, but he didn't recall anything in Middleton's zoning regulations that would prevent the flea market. Danvers, on the other hand, has an adult zone bylaw restricting this type of activity to an area off Route 1 near the Peabody line.
Vivienne Kramer, chairwoman of the New England Leather Alliance, said the flea market isn't something to fear.
"We make every effort to have a low-key and enjoyable event that is profitable to the host hotel and the host city," she said. "We've never had issues of any kind."
In its 28th year, the event has previously been held at the Park Plaza and the Sheraton in Boston, as well as the Ramada in Andover – and would probably still be held there if the Andover hotel hadn't closed, Kramer said.
Most of the expected 3,000 to 4,000 attendees will be from the Greater Boston area, but others will travel from points "all over the country," Kramer said. Flea market patrons have booked nearly all of the Sheraton Ferncroft's 350 rooms, and organizers have reserved all of the hotel's function rooms and meeting space.
"We're going to accommodate them as we do all the groups that come into the hotel," said Edward Carey, director of sales and marketing for the Sheraton Ferncroft.
Consider the hotel taxes, the overflow of people staying at other area hotels and the business generated at local restaurants and shops, and Kramer estimates the weekend-long event will pump at least $1 million into the local economy.
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To read this entire article, go to: http://www.salemnews.com/local/local_story_011064608?page=2 To respond, go to: http://plus.salemnews.com/ze/info/letterstotheeditor.htm
Defense: Client didn't think anyone would die
by Carrie Weimar
The St. Petersburg Times (FL)
January 11, 2007
TAMPA – Scott Schweickert isn't disputing he spent hours on the computer discussing sexual torture and bondage.
Nor is he denying that he and Steven Lorenzo went trolling for men to dominate sexually on the weekend of Dec. 19, 2003.
But Schweickert's attorney told jurors Wednesday that his client never expected his role-playing fantasies to result in the deaths of Jason Galehouse and Michael Wachholtz, both 26.
"Did two young men die?" Pedro Amador, Schweickert's attorney, asked jurors. "Yes they did. They died at the hand of Steven Lorenzo. Not Scott Schweickert."
Schweickert, 41, of Peru, Ill., is on trial on charges of conspiracy and assisting in a drug-facilitated crime of violence. If convicted, he faces a maximum of 60 years in prison.
A federal jury found Lorenzo guilty in November 2005 and sentenced him to 200 years in prison.
Amador began his opening statement to jurors by telling them his client was a homosexual who engaged in bondage and kinky sex. He found kindred spirits in bars and through Internet chat rooms.
Prosecutors plan to introduce those chats as evidence Schweickert planned to find victims to torture and kill. But Amador said his client thought he was only playing a game.
"The chats you are going to be exposed to are nothing more than fantasy," he said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Porcelli disagreed. He said the chats reveal two men intent on living out their desire to drug and kill innocent victims.
"Drugs, torture and death," Porcelli said during his opening statement to jurors. "That horrible combination is the unfortunate reality of this case."
Porcelli said Lorenzo and Schweickert used a combination of GHB, which is a central nervous system depressant, and a cleaning solvent called Maximum Impact to subdue their victims before killing them.
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To read this entire article, go to: http://www.sptimes.com/2007/01/11/Hillsborough/Defense__Client_didn_.shtml To respond, write to: the author at cweimar@sptimes.com or the editors at http://www.sptimes.com/letters/
Portsmouth Police Trying To Curb Swingers' Parties
by staff writer
CBS4 Boston (MA)
January 11, 2007
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. Police are keeping a close eye on a home in Portsmouth which has reportedly been holding biweekly 'swingers' parties for 17 years.
71-year-old Joseph Ranguette's triplex at 42 Cutts Street has been under police surveillance for more than a year.
"Our examination of the situation indicates what goes on there is very regularly scheduled meetings of a so called swingers club," said City Attorney Robert Sullivan.
The online advertisement for the 'Middle Door' invites couples and singles to "explore themselves."
Photographs of the home are also posted on the site. The pictures show beds, a voyeur room, adult items and a downstairs buffet.
"What's wrong with the Middle Door is it attracts large crowds on a regular bases, and large crowds among other things, park their cars up and down the streets, and I believe that's the aspect of the operation that initially bothered the area residents and lead them to call state police and their city council," said Sullivan.
Police began receiving complaints about activity at the home in 2005. An anonymous letter claimed people were arriving at the home in buses from out of state.
[continued] [note: website has accompanying video report]
To read this entire article, go to: http://cbs4boston.com/local/local_story_011123329.html To respond, go to: http://cbs4boston.com/contact
In upside-down S.F., porn is OK in the Mission, but housing isn't
by Ken Garcia (opinion)
The San Francisco Examiner
January 11, 2007
San Francisco seems to have a particular fetish for finding obscure reasons to block new development and housing. But prohibiting porn? No way – that would be like stepping on someone's thigh-high, leather boot-covered toes.
In that frequent act of reality arriving on the shores of San Francisco's fantasy land, it was reported in The Examiner on Wednesday that an online fetish company purchased the landmark State Armory building at 14th and Mission streets as a site for producing kinky porn flicks. While that might not get many hot and bothered here in Sin City, it should serve as a reminder of the lunacy that's been surrounding that historic site for decades.
But I will say this – after lying empty since the National Guard abandoned the stately brick fortress in 1971, it appears the armory is about to see some considerable action. Its new owner, Kink.com, is a burgeoning porn conglomerate, with a dizzying array of submissive and dominant-related hardcore Web sites, ranging from "Men in Pain" and "Hogtied" to "Water Bondage" and "Ultimate Surrender".
Yet it is developers, housing activists and commercial investors who have made the ultimate surrender over plans to make over the Moorish-influenced building. In the last 20 years, so many groups and entrepreneurs have tried – and failed – to take over the building that one local newspaper did a story talking about the armory's "curse". And the reason for the hex is that a list of nonprofit community groups have fought every proposal under the froth-inducing flag of blue-collar job displacement and gentrification.
If any argument deserves a ball gag, it's the one that suggests a thriving commercial and housing development will somehow ruin a neighborhood's character. But at the armory, the only thing that has thrived is the rhetoric dished up by groups such as the Mission Anti-Displacement Coalition, which led the backlash against dot-coms in San Francisco.
Back as far as 1980, Delancy Street, the national model for organizations trying to rehabilitate ex-cons through gainful employment, was interested in taking over the building. But community activists objected because Delancy Street wasn't based in the Mission district. Not long after, several film companies became interested in the site, and August Coppola, Francis Ford Coppola's brother, wanted to turn it into something like the Metreon, with shops and entertainment.
The City hasn't been able to build much-needed housing there and virtually every commercial enterprise proposed for the armory has been shot down. So to say there is irony in the fact that a porn production company is poised to turn a landmark into a rough, edgy movie palace would be a major understatement.
Is it a good idea to have a porn production company in a dense residential neighborhood? San Francisco, after all, is not Chatsworth, or any other nondescript community in the sprawling San Fernando Valley, porn's undisputed capital.
But by city standards, it may be far less controversial than something truly objectionable – such as offices or high-rise condominiums.
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To read this entire article, go to: http://www.examiner.com/a-502668~Ken_Garcia__In_upside_down_S_F___porn_is_OK__in_the_Mission__but_housing_isn_t.html To respond, write to: the author at kgarcia@examiner.com or the editors at editor@examiner.com
Neighbors upset about nearby sex shop
by Chuin-Wei Yap
The St. Petersburg Times
January 10, 2007
GOWERS CORNER – The housing boom isn't far away, but you can still find plenty of cows in this part of central Pasco. Traffic zips by on U.S. 41, but there are plenty of large oaks and pastures.
And the county jail. And now, sex shops. Neighbors are upset.
Night Dreams, a store specializing in fetish and bondage gear, is about to open barely a minute's drive south from State Road 52 along U.S. 41.
It joins Wanderlust Adult Novelties, 2 months old and 4 miles north on U.S. 41, just beyond the Saginaw Ranch. Neighbors view this as the seamy underbelly of development.
"I have a 7-year-old son," said Julie Klieves. "The next two houses have babies on the way, and they have an 8-year-old daughter. … I don't like it at all."
There are no signs at the building at Ticino Lane, and its shades are always drawn. Night Dreams won't officially open until June, a store assistant said, but neighbors got wind of it last week.
"We're trying to find out more about it, and we're taking a petition," said Candy Lester, who has a 16-year-old daughter. "Mostly adult stores are in industrial parks, and that's okay. But not where we have kids."
But the law is not on Lester's side. Lee Millard, Pasco's assistant zoning administrator, said county law allows sexually oriented businesses to set up in a commercial zones if all they do is sell or rent videos, magazines, books or novelties. They cannot be within 1,000 feet of a school, place of worship, day care center or public park.
If the business is moving into an existing building, as is the case with Night Dreams, the owner doesn't even need a permit from the county.
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To read this entire article, go to: http://www.sptimes.com/2007/01/10/Pasco/Neighbors_upset_about.shtml To respond, write to: the author at cyap@sptimes.com or the editors at http://www.sptimes.com/letters/