T H E_.H O T_.S P O T Dr. Laura, how could you? By Patrizia DiLucchio Copyright war rages over Schlessinger's nude photos (11/03/98) ___________________ Buy art books from BarnesandNoble.com -- to keep or send! ___________________   R E C E N T L Y Sade off By Molly Weatherfield The man who became history's most notorious pervert was no picnic to live with, either (11/19/98) Two hard men are good to find By Rona Marech Women's smutty little reading secret is sending black homoerotic literature to the top of the charts (11/05/98) The bridegroom stripped bare By Daniel Reitz A gay man discovers that the goings-on at a straight male stag party are kinkier than he could have imagined (10/22/98) - - - - - - - - - - Browse the Urge archives   Find a book and order it online from barnes&noble.com Search by:  Keyword Title Author       S A L O N E M P O R I U M FREE! 12-ounce bag of Salon Blend with a purchase of $30 or more. While supplies last.		THE SHIPPING NUDES | PAGE 1, 2, 3 - - - - - - - - - - After his confrontation with DHL, Morey took the same photos to Federal Express, and they arrived safely at his publisher's office in London the next day, bright and early, just like any other package -- no questions asked, no hassles, no inspections -- neither from FedEx nor from British customs. Indeed, Federal Express policy turns out to be the very opposite of DHL's, belying Fonkelsrud's claim that common carriers have "a legal obligation to ensure that shipments... are in compliance with foreign customs laws and restrictions." Larisse Woods, an international customer service representative at FedEx, explained that Federal Express never opens, inspects, or attempts to screen packages, neither for domestic nor for international shipment. Even if a customer were to advise FedEx that they were shipping photographs that might be deemed pornographic, she said, FedEx would leave the matter up to customs officials of the destination country. Fine art nudes, she assured me casually, would definitely not be a problem. Material that was legally obscene would be another matter, but Federal Express would not presume to determine what is or is not legally obscene separate from governmental authorities. United Parcel Service, on the other hand, has a policy that is fully as intrusive as DHL's. According to Mary Ellen Brinson, a manager in the San Antonio UPS customer service department who was more than a little reluctant to answer my questions, nude photographs of any sort would be rejected out of hand by UPS, just like DHL. "So you're telling me," I demanded in my most incredulous tone of voice, "that UPS would not, for example, accept an art history textbook that included a photograph of a 16th century painting of a nude?" I was ferrying questions to manager Brinson through a cooperative customer service underling who kept failing to get Brinson to actually talk to me herself. "That's correct," I was told. "Are there written criteria by which UPS personnel determine what material is acceptable and what is objectionable?" I persisted. Brinson passed word that UPS does not have any fixed criteria, that it would be up to each individual UPS worker to decide what he or she thought was proper and improper, pornographic and non-pornographic, for both domestic and international shipments. The people I spoke with at the American Civil Liberties Union did not have detailed information on whether common carriers like DHL, Federal Express and UPS have free rein to determine which materials and customers they will deal with and which they will reject. I was told quite clearly, however, that there are no First Amendment guarantees that extend to private companies such as express package carriers. Federal Express could make hay off being a Botticelli-friendly carrier. It would be a great TV commercial. The opening shot features a nice middle-aged woman looking appreciatively at a life-size reproduction of Michaelangelo's "David." She turns and faces the camera. "I tried to send this poster home from Europe to my son who's studying Renaissance art, but DHL and UPS ripped open my parcel and said it was pornographic. If it weren't for Federal Express, I would have missed his birthday entirely!" Cut to a shot of a Federal Express plane flying into the sunset, then her son unrolling the poster and beaming appreciatively, while a voice-over announces, "Federal Express: We take care of the shipping and leave questions of taste up to you." SALON | Dec. 10, 1998 David Steinberg writes frequently about the culture and politics of sex. Readers who want to receive his writing regularly can send their e-mail addresses to him at eronat@aol.com.