As some of you may have guessed, I am a hobby writer and not a fully qualified accredited journalist paid by Rupert Murdoch, and it would appear Ms Hamburg of Body Worlds has seen right through any thinly veiled pretence.
I am a hobby writer
Body Worlds v Simon Willace.
I do not usually write about myself, as I would make very uninteresting material for any article. However as it has turned out I have made the news and it falls upon me, once again, to present the facts as I see them.
My feelings are that the market is already swamped with that type of writer and if readers wanted a product delivered from authorized media, they would buy a fucking paper.
However, like a journalist, I too have a responsibility to deliver a truth, or at the very least, one that I personally believe. I honestly believe I have honoured that obligation with the ‘Amazing Freak show human body exhibition’ article.
However I have made a few mistakes along the way, I have caused harm to the organisation, ‘Body Worlds’ owned by Dr Gunther Von Hagan.
Last month I wrote in the article that a Dr Gunther Von Hagan’s Body world franchise operating under the name of Amazing Human Bodies Exhibition is touring Australia entertaining crowds with the plastic carcasses of executed Chinese political Prisoners.
This turned out not to be the case; but only half of the story, the executed Chinese prisoners may still be touring Australia. However the mistaken link occurred because appearing in AHBE promotional literature was the name Dr Gunther Von Hagan clearly written while no other name was mentioned. The advertising also had a short biography seemingly identifying him as responsible for the Australian show.
I personally interviewed people as they walked out of the show, and like any junior reporter, I have the names and contact details to prove the shared misunderstandings. I asked who was responsible for putting on the exhibition?. They too had read the pamphlets and replied Gunther was named as the man most likely to be responsible, no other company name appears so it seemed to suggest it ‘quacked like a duck’.
However as they quaked in threads and to my email adress, Gunther Von Hagan and body worlds has never toured here and has no intention to do so. They strongly deny any links of association with any touring freak shows other than the ones carrying the Gunther name and I cannot in all honesty back my claim that says otherwise so I retract the alleged business link.
.In the research investigating all exhibitions of plastination I discovered there were many with names like AMHB, Scope, Bodies, Fantastic and Inside story to name a few and plenty of reports to confirm the bodies in all exhibition were also all Chinese like the ones I saw in Australia.
However as I researched and gathered articles from a variety of media, looking for suggestive material linking such exhibitions with von Hagan, I discovered that Von Hagan coincidentaly has two factories in China that prepares bodies for exhibition although he does not use Chinese bodies himself
This is where I became very confused. I could not find any other factories aside from von Hagan’s capable of supplying the market
Why would Gunther have offices in Heidelberg Germany and have two factories in China?
Nevertheless, Gunther Von Hagan and Body worlds were adamant stating that they do not use Chinese cadavers in their displays.
OK they should not suffer because I wrongfully suggested they did. The suppositions I came to from reading many articles led me to imply they were involved in duping the Australian public into believing the bodies on display here are donated by the deceased like the Body Worlds information declares.
The duping however still goes on as the freak show passes through Perth on its way here, but it is not run by Gunther, and is named Amazing human body not Body worlds exhibition, so von Hagan’s operation is OK.
Or is It?
Doubtless, they will sue if I continue a campaign, and have me executed and put my plasticised face in a display, but it’s worth the crack.
How many factories are there, doyouthink, where you can obtain a complete crowd of Chinese plastic body collection for display?
Body worlds has gone all out to refute my claims, which is OK, they posted a right of reply in threads that attacked my style and intelligence. They did the same on their own site and a fake PDF of the Article. Which was quite understandable, as any attack on my character is easy but not a convincing defence against the accusations, and by doing so they made it clear they had plenty to hide.
Are they guilty of turning Executed Chinese prisoners into plastic and selling the displays to other exhibitors?.
Quite honestly and perhaps surprisingly, I do not give a shit. Had it not been for the avalanche of protest from Ms Hamburg the article would not have have as much attention as it has world wide so they have themselves to thank, and I thank them for their time otherwise it may have slipped from these pages in silence.
What bothers me now is that the show that is coming to Melbourne is allowed in Australia at all without being investigated or cleared by an ethics committee.
How can we go to war for democracy and allow a freak show that may exploit pro democracy political prisoners from a nation of an oppressive regime?.
No one else seems to be concerned, aside from readers on IMC and the members of a small fretful group of Christians currently holding vigil outside an American museum prompted by the article.
Perhaps accredited professional journalist should investigate the obvious links forcing our democratic government to act in the interests of human rights, which might be a good thing.
Why don’t we ask them?
Thank you for your time.
Related:
The Amazing (freak show) human body exhibition
It is hard these days to get upset about any one subject, because there are so many things happening both locally and overseas that just should not be happening. Prioritising or ignoring has become an individual choice. The list is quite endless, but for everyone crime against humanity must come close to the top of the list.
http://www.melbourne.indymedia.org/news/2006/05/112158.php
Comment:
Any nation cruel like China
by Ziggy Thursday May 11, 2006 at 07:12 PM
Any nation cruel like China who take beating hearts from anyone don't deserve any show without proof of the identity of those they seek to display.
Beating, beating, beating beating,
=========================
A timely look at china's human rights!
by Incomprehensible
UK transplant patients go to China for organs
The British Transplantation Society said that "an accumulating body of evidence suggests that the organs of executed prisoners are being removed for transplantation without the prior consent of either the prisoner or their family".
Thousands of organs are thought to be involved in the lucrative trade, it said. Transplant centres, patients, and the Chinese authorities and judiciary could all be implicated in a breach of human rights.
"The British Transplantation Society condemns unreservedly any activity that transgresses an individual's human rights or involves the coercion of an individual to become an organ donor," said Stephen Wigmore, chairman of its ethics committee. "The alleged use of organs from executed prisoners without consent is considered a breach of human rights and is an unacceptable practice. A reported close relationship between transplant units and the authorities regulating executions and the availability of organs is unethical."
http://indymedia.us/en/2006/04/15832.shtml
Tracking Down the Mysterious Organ Sources of China's Shenyang City's Multi-Organ Transplant Center
At present, we know the following cruel facts: most organs for transplants in China come from prisoners, and a large number of them have been removed from prisoners when their hearts were still beating. Organs taken this way may be called "live organs." Referring back to our previous question: In Shenyang City, especially Shenyang Multi-Organ Transplant Center, are there organs belonging to this kind of "live organs"? Take kidney transplant as an example. In China, patients usually have to wait for six months to a year for a kidney transplant, but in CITNAC of the Multi-Organ Transplant Center, patients only have to wait for a week to a month for kidney transplant, and the kidneys are not any inferior than those live ones sold by the poor people.
http://adelaide.indymedia.org/newswire/display_any/10984
Australian Surgeons Condemn "Horrific" Organ Trade
Prison inmates are given instructions from a police officer. Leading Australian transplant surgeons have condemned the practice of harvesting organs from executed prisoners.
http://www.melbourne.indymedia.org/news/2006/05/111764.php
Australians Obtaining Organs From Executed Prisoners
Australian doctors have said Australians have gone to China to receive organ transplants from executed prisoners.
http://sydney.indymedia.org/node/36856
I do not usually write about myself, as I would make very uninteresting material for any article. However as it has turned out I have made the news and it falls upon me, once again, to present the facts as I see them.
My feelings are that the market is already swamped with that type of writer and if readers wanted a product delivered from authorized media, they would buy a fucking paper.
However, like a journalist, I too have a responsibility to deliver a truth, or at the very least, one that I personally believe. I honestly believe I have honoured that obligation with the ‘Amazing Freak show human body exhibition’ article.
However I have made a few mistakes along the way, I have caused harm to the organisation, ‘Body Worlds’ owned by Dr Gunther Von Hagan.
Last month I wrote in the article that a Dr Gunther Von Hagan’s Body world franchise operating under the name of Amazing Human Bodies Exhibition is touring Australia entertaining crowds with the plastic carcasses of executed Chinese political Prisoners.
This turned out not to be the case; but only half of the story, the executed Chinese prisoners may still be touring Australia. However the mistaken link occurred because appearing in AHBE promotional literature was the name Dr Gunther Von Hagan clearly written while no other name was mentioned. The advertising also had a short biography seemingly identifying him as responsible for the Australian show.
I personally interviewed people as they walked out of the show, and like any junior reporter, I have the names and contact details to prove the shared misunderstandings. I asked who was responsible for putting on the exhibition?. They too had read the pamphlets and replied Gunther was named as the man most likely to be responsible, no other company name appears so it seemed to suggest it ‘quacked like a duck’.
However as they quaked in threads and to my email adress, Gunther Von Hagan and body worlds has never toured here and has no intention to do so. They strongly deny any links of association with any touring freak shows other than the ones carrying the Gunther name and I cannot in all honesty back my claim that says otherwise so I retract the alleged business link.
.In the research investigating all exhibitions of plastination I discovered there were many with names like AMHB, Scope, Bodies, Fantastic and Inside story to name a few and plenty of reports to confirm the bodies in all exhibition were also all Chinese like the ones I saw in Australia.
However as I researched and gathered articles from a variety of media, looking for suggestive material linking such exhibitions with von Hagan, I discovered that Von Hagan coincidentaly has two factories in China that prepares bodies for exhibition although he does not use Chinese bodies himself
This is where I became very confused. I could not find any other factories aside from von Hagan’s capable of supplying the market
Why would Gunther have offices in Heidelberg Germany and have two factories in China?
Nevertheless, Gunther Von Hagan and Body worlds were adamant stating that they do not use Chinese cadavers in their displays.
OK they should not suffer because I wrongfully suggested they did. The suppositions I came to from reading many articles led me to imply they were involved in duping the Australian public into believing the bodies on display here are donated by the deceased like the Body Worlds information declares.
The duping however still goes on as the freak show passes through Perth on its way here, but it is not run by Gunther, and is named Amazing human body not Body worlds exhibition, so von Hagan’s operation is OK.
Or is It?
Doubtless, they will sue if I continue a campaign, and have me executed and put my plasticised face in a display, but it’s worth the crack.
How many factories are there, doyouthink, where you can obtain a complete crowd of Chinese plastic body collection for display?
Body worlds has gone all out to refute my claims, which is OK, they posted a right of reply in threads that attacked my style and intelligence. They did the same on their own site and a fake PDF of the Article. Which was quite understandable, as any attack on my character is easy but not a convincing defence against the accusations, and by doing so they made it clear they had plenty to hide.
Are they guilty of turning Executed Chinese prisoners into plastic and selling the displays to other exhibitors?.
Quite honestly and perhaps surprisingly, I do not give a shit. Had it not been for the avalanche of protest from Ms Hamburg the article would not have have as much attention as it has world wide so they have themselves to thank, and I thank them for their time otherwise it may have slipped from these pages in silence.
What bothers me now is that the show that is coming to Melbourne is allowed in Australia at all without being investigated or cleared by an ethics committee.
How can we go to war for democracy and allow a freak show that may exploit pro democracy political prisoners from a nation of an oppressive regime?.
No one else seems to be concerned, aside from readers on IMC and the members of a small fretful group of Christians currently holding vigil outside an American museum prompted by the article.
Perhaps accredited professional journalist should investigate the obvious links forcing our democratic government to act in the interests of human rights, which might be a good thing.
Why don’t we ask them?
Thank you for your time.
Related:
The Amazing (freak show) human body exhibition
It is hard these days to get upset about any one subject, because there are so many things happening both locally and overseas that just should not be happening. Prioritising or ignoring has become an individual choice. The list is quite endless, but for everyone crime against humanity must come close to the top of the list.
http://www.melbourne.indymedia.org/news/2006/05/112158.php Comment:
Any nation cruel like China
by Ziggy Thursday May 11, 2006 at 07:12 PM
Any nation cruel like China who take beating hearts from anyone don't deserve any show without proof of the identity of those they seek to display.
Beating, beating, beating beating,
=========================
A timely look at china's human rights!
by Incomprehensible
UK transplant patients go to China for organs
The British Transplantation Society said that "an accumulating body of evidence suggests that the organs of executed prisoners are being removed for transplantation without the prior consent of either the prisoner or their family".
Thousands of organs are thought to be involved in the lucrative trade, it said. Transplant centres, patients, and the Chinese authorities and judiciary could all be implicated in a breach of human rights.
"The British Transplantation Society condemns unreservedly any activity that transgresses an individual's human rights or involves the coercion of an individual to become an organ donor," said Stephen Wigmore, chairman of its ethics committee. "The alleged use of organs from executed prisoners without consent is considered a breach of human rights and is an unacceptable practice. A reported close relationship between transplant units and the authorities regulating executions and the availability of organs is unethical."
http://indymedia.us/en/2006/04/15832.shtml Tracking Down the Mysterious Organ Sources of China's Shenyang City's Multi-Organ Transplant Center
At present, we know the following cruel facts: most organs for transplants in China come from prisoners, and a large number of them have been removed from prisoners when their hearts were still beating. Organs taken this way may be called "live organs." Referring back to our previous question: In Shenyang City, especially Shenyang Multi-Organ Transplant Center, are there organs belonging to this kind of "live organs"? Take kidney transplant as an example. In China, patients usually have to wait for six months to a year for a kidney transplant, but in CITNAC of the Multi-Organ Transplant Center, patients only have to wait for a week to a month for kidney transplant, and the kidneys are not any inferior than those live ones sold by the poor people.
http://adelaide.indymedia.org/newswire/display_any/10984 Australian Surgeons Condemn "Horrific" Organ Trade
Prison inmates are given instructions from a police officer. Leading Australian transplant surgeons have condemned the practice of harvesting organs from executed prisoners.
http://www.melbourne.indymedia.org/news/2006/05/111764.php Australians Obtaining Organs From Executed Prisoners
Australian doctors have said Australians have gone to China to receive organ transplants from executed prisoners.
http://sydney.indymedia.org/node/36856
