Since the days of Alexander the Great, binge drinking has been a very popular past time - leading to him apparently killing a friend and burning down Persepolis while drunk.

Those are some Great shoes to fill.

Yet, governments, schools and the media have repeatedly tried to teach us of binge drinking's dangers. 

Dartmouth University has taken the lead, instigating a new nationwide policy to curb heavy drinking by their students.

Pour me another glass.

Binge drinking is defined as "the consumption of five or more drinks in a row by men — or four or more drinks in a row by women — at least once in the previous 2 weeks. Heavy binge drinking includes three or more such episodes in 2 weeks."

Seems I don't know anyone who isn't a heavy binge drinker.

Do you think this definition should be changed or should we change people's attitudes? Or should you follow HPD's no fools guide to drinking a lot but not dying?  . . read more

“If you want to preserve the innocence of a child’s eye and the imagination of a child that can soar and remember its first epiphanies of beauty forever then give that child the riches of what civilisation has produced. Without the moral truth of art we have nothing, it’s when we throw that away that we fail our children”
Bill Henson-lecture Melbourne Art Foundation, August 2010

When I was nine or ten I went to the Australian National Gallery in Canberra where I saw Jackson Pollock’s ‘Blue Poles’- at first I hated it because like many I thought that because there seemed to be an absence of technique there must be an absence of ability. But its affect on me was profound, I walked back and forth, staring at the violent splatters, I heard the story of its controversial purchase under Whitlam and I couldn’t understand why someone would spend so much for so much mess.

Now after years and years it’s the only artwork I can remember seeing that day and although I’ve never seen it in the flesh since I realise now how deeply its printed itself on my mind- helping me to understand the beauty, the anger, the passion, and the tremendous sense of alienation that a deviant work of art can inspire.  . . read more

With an informal slogan of ‘Don’t be Evil’, Google is the self-professed multi-national that always tries to be good. Yet, when HomepageDAILY published an article on changes to Child Pornography laws in NSW featuring a Bill Henson photograph, a private complaint was made to Google. The response was quickly to disable our AdSense account claiming that the image was pornographic; even though it and similar images are easy to find on Google’s own image search tool with the recommended SafeSearch ‘Moderate’ filter. The unsettling action opened up a whole host of questions including what this says about Google’s ability to infringe on freedom of the press and the arbitrary ways in which it enforces its company policy- By Sean Maguire and the HPD Team

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Much of the hype about drugs ignores the fact that they're dangerous because for all we know, 50% or more of what is sold as ecstasy may be rat poison or something equally toxic. How do you legislate to stop people doing what they want to do? Many people want to take substances, including alcohol, that alter their mood or consciousness. Most people are able to do it without causing themselves or others excessive harm. It could be argued that the likelihood of harm would be reduced even further by a regulated industry which restricts supply, provides warnings to consumers and monitors the content of what is sold.

There will be always people who could be described as having addictive personalities. But it could be argued that their addictions may have more to do with their personalities than with the substance they take. Can it be argued that if drugs were regulated it would be more difficult for addicts to acquire large quantities of them? There would be warnings about their use or misuse. Sale could be restricted. Content and quality would meet certain standards...

It's time to debate whether all we've done in the past has progressed the issue at all. If the situation is not improving, and it appears it's not, we might have to think of other strategies. I simply don't know. But I think the arguments are worth ventilating. . . read more

The films by Tropfest standards didn't really compare to previous years but there were a few highlights including the winner 'Shock', which poked fun at the lives of early morning radio presenters and the much maligned Kyle Sandilands.

The beauty of the event though isn't really in the films but in the atmosphere- thousands of film loving Sydneysiders coming together to enjoy the outdoors, each other's company and art.

Last night Sydney also held the colours and extravagence of Chinese New Year and the beginning of Mardi Gras week with a fair in Victoria Park.

Really makes you feel hope that under the layers of the luddites and the philistines that keep the Daily Telegraph, Alan Jones and the UFC in business that there exists an enormous culturally interested and thoughtful community . . read more

Yet, having watched my fair share of people having sex on camera it's fair to say that the statement:

'Men like to look at troubling images of heroin addicts showing their genitals for money'- Dobby- The Peep Show
 

is so accurate of the world of porn that most men can attest to a feeling of porn guilt.

What's porn guilt I hear you ask?

It's a feeling where you're watching porn, masturbating and then when you finish- sigh with relief- look back at the screen and then feel this wave of nausea as you realise what you were watching.

'Jesus, that girl is really screaming, did they really need to put it in that deep?'

I think every man can agree they've felt that weird feeling once in a while and have quickly closed their browser to make themselves feel better.

Weird though that you don't feel that before you ejaculate.  . . read more