CHIPPENDALE CITATIONS DISMISSED
CHATTANOOGA, TN – City Judge Russell Bean has dismissed charges against Chippendale male strippers for violations of the city’s adult entertainment ordinance. Police Chief Steve Parks said he planned to study the decision and seek guidance on future enforcement of adult-oriented cases. However, he defended the actions of police in  closing down the dance act at a local club and in issuing citations.
        “There has been some comment that perhaps these officers could have been doing something on a higher priority level rather than monitor this show,” said Parks. “These officers were at the establishment because it is their responsibility to enforce Tennessee State Law and Chattanooga City Ordinances. Vice investigators…work daily with neighborhood groups to deal with quality of life crimes and issues that negatively affect the citizens and neighborhoods of the City of Chattanooga.”
From The Chattanoogan, 11/25/04
http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_59117.asp
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FCC RELEASES REPORT ON “A LA CARTE” CABLE
WASHINGTON, DC – The Federal Communications Commission has released a six month study, ordered by Congress, of “a la carte” cable and satellite pricing. The study concludes that consumers would pay much more if they were allowed to pick only the channels they wanted to watch instead of being forced to buy large packages of channels. Most households regularly watch an average of 17 channels, including traditional broadcast staples such as ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox, the report said. Under the a la carte plan studied, consumers would see their monthly bills rise between 14 and 30 percent if they purchased 17 channels.
        The FCC conclusions did not go over well with the Parents Television Council, which claims that cable television is flooded with obscene and pornographic content.                                
        “The FCC’s report on ‘a la carte’ was hopelessly inadequate, as it barely mentioned the prime reason why so many people want cable choice: Cable is completely awash in raunch,” said PTC executive director Tim Winter.
        Because of the PTC’s dissatisfaction with the FCC’s study, Winter said his group would ask the agency to prepare a new report on indecent cable programming and would also demand that the cable industry yield on the a la carte issue.
From Frank Ahrens, The Washington Post, 11/20/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A63948-2004Nov19.html?
nav=rss_technology/techpolicy
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“PERFECT 10” IS A PERFECT 0-2 -- BUT IS NOT GIVING UP
LOS ANGELES, CA – Apparently undeterred after failing recently in similar lawsuits against Visa, Mastercard, CCBill and iBill, Perfect 10 publisher Norman Zada is now suing Google, Inc. for  copyright infringement.        In the Visa/Mastercard lawsuit, Zada had claimed that the credit card companies were liable for contributory violations of copyrights by providing transactional support services for the sale of stolen photos and film clips that belong to Perfect 10. That case was dismissed by U.S. District Court Judge James Ware in August. According to Judge Ware, the only service Visa and Mastercard supplied was the ability to accept certain credit cards as payment, and this service has no apparent direct link to the alleged infringing activities. A similar lawsuit against CCBill and iBill was thrown out in July.
        In the Google case, Perfect 10 says Google is destroying its business by distributing links and passwords that provide free glimpses of nude model photos stolen from Perfect 10.
From The Associated Press, 11/22/04
http://business.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_title=
adult_entertainment_site_sues_google&story_id=28591
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WORK VISAS FOR EXOTIC DANCERS  UNDER FIRE
OTTAWA, ONTARIO – A Canadian immigration program for exotic dancers has come under scrutiny here since the news broke that Immigration Minister Judy Sgro had granted permanent resident status to a Romanian exotic dancer who worked on her campaign. More than 500 Romanians received temporary visas to come to Canada under the program last year.
        The question is whether there exists a shortage of Canadian women willing to work as exotic dancers, as claimed by the Immigration Department. University of Toronto law professor Audrey Macklin says the real reason dance clubs want foreign dancers is that they are desperate and will do things Canadian women consider too unsafe or demeaning.
        “And there’s also a shortage of women who are willing to work in so-called private booths where they do stripping, whatever they do in a private booth, just for one man,” Macklin said.
        The foreign dancers are often trained in other occupations such as nursing and teaching. However, said Macklin, “…we claim not to need those occupations. [Exotic dancing] is where the demand is and this is what the visas will be issued for.”
From Canadian Press, 11/25/04
http://www3.cjad.com/content/cp_article.asp?id=/global_feeds/
canadianpress/nationalnews/n112549A.htm
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DANCE CLUB TO OPEN NEAR RESCUE MISSION
NASHVILLE, TN – An downtown exotic dance club called Stephanie’s Cabaret has gotten the go-ahead from a judge to open here. Opponents had tried to stop the opening, based on a law forbidding adult entertainment businesses within 500 feet of a church. The Nashville Rescue Mission is across the street from Stephanie’s. The mission has a chapel and calls itself a faith-based institution. However, the argument did not fly in court, perhaps because a rescue mission is not a church.
        Metro Council member Randy Foster wants to re-write the zoning ordinance, changing the word “church” to “religious institution.” He also wants to amend the ordinance to forbid adult businesses within 500 feet of day care programs. Foster sees the issue in simple terms:
        “I think it is pretty clear that one side stands on the side of angels and the other side doesn't,” said Foster.  “I would rather be found on the side of angels than not.”
From Scott Fralick, WKRN Channel 2 News, 11/28/04
http://www.wkrn.com/global/story.asp?s=2619110
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TOWN FIGHTS ON FOR DUBIOUS ORDINANCE
FALL RIVER, MA -- A protracted legal war between the city council here and Paul Viveros, a businessman who wants to convert a restaurant into an exotic dance club, has finally, after many continuances, been heard in court. Superior Court Judge Robert J. Kane will consider the constitutionality of an ordinance the city council passed in May 2003 requiring dance clubs to be at least 750 feet from schools, residential zones, churches, parks, medical facilities, youth facilities and elderly housing, among other locales. The ordinance in question also forbids such clubs in the Central Business District, the Waterfront District and the Industrial Park.
        Judge Kane, who ruled a previous ordinance unconstitutional in 2002 because it created an adult zone on several hundreds of acres of inaccessible, wooded land, now says the city has to demonstrate that there is actually land available for adult entertainment establishments. That may not be easy to do for attorney Bruce Assad, who is representing the city. Only three locations are remotely viable. One is owned by the city and is being considered for a new middle school. Another has access problems and the third has parking problems.
        City Corporation Council Thomas McGuire, who would normally be the town’s counsel in the case, was dropped from the job because he had publicly stated his opposition to the current ordinance, claiming it was unconstitutional. (An earlier draft of a more liberal ordinance was rejected after protests by hundreds of residents and members of the business community.)
        “They knew it was unconstitutional and it still passed,” said Viveros’ attorney, Thomas Lesser. “Their own city attorney told them it was unconstitutional.”
From Daniel Fowler, The Herald News, 11/17/04
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=13370580&brd=1710&pag=461&dept_id=
99784&rfi=6
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A CASE STUDY IN COMMUNITY RELATIONS
MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- Neighbors, business people and city officials all seem to be lining up in support of Dean Dino Perlman’s topless dance club. Scratch that. Not a topless dance club. The Seville, while it does, technically, feature topless dancing, is in “the upper echelon of sophisticated, adult-themed cabaret entertainment,” according to Perlman, who is giving a clinic on how to build community acceptance.
        During the building makeover from sleazy bar to classy “show club,” Perlman and the property owner, Chris Diebold, enlisted help from tenants who lived above the club in low-rent apartments. He hired 18 residents as laborers who helped with renovations. He has offered jobs at the club to three residents. Forty-two people who lived above the club have been relocated. Some were referred to new apartments or the Central Community Housing Trust, which provides efficiency apartments for formerly homeless people.
        Perlman’s efforts to help out his new neighbors and improve conditions on the block have also won over nearby businesses. The Seville’s immediate neighbors, O’Donovan's Irish Pub and a parking lot owner, embraced Perlman’s business concept earlier this year when he pitched his plan to the City Council. Perlman also did his homework regarding the distance requirement from residentially zoned areas, schools and churches. He found a location in which there is no expensive residential development present or planned.   
        The vote by the City Council for Perlman’s Class A liquor license? 13-0 in favor.
From Sarah McKenzie, Skyway News Online, 11/23/04
http://www.skywaynews.net/articles/2004/11/23/news/news03.txt