Monthly Archives: June 2010

A Virtual Demonstration Against Censorship

By |2019-03-07T23:19:39-05:00June 28th, 2010|Blog|

A Second Life user films a demonstration opposing the virtual world's ban of Rose Borchovski's The Kiss, which was intended to be shown at SL's 7th birthday celebration. For more about the incident, see "Second Life Censors Machinema Film Over Artistic Nudity."

A Conversation with Edward Albee, David Henry Hwang, Terrence McNally and Adam Rapp

By |2019-03-20T13:28:15-04:00June 25th, 2010|Blog|

The Free Speech Leadership Council gathered on June 23, 2010 for “Playwrights on Censorship: A Conversation with Edward Albee, David Henry Hwang, Terrence McNally, and Adam Rapp.” It was perhaps the first time ever these luminous playwrights conversed in the same room!  Time Out New York’s Theater Editor David Cote moderated the discussion and Jane Friedman, Chair of the Council, [...]

Playwrights On Censorship

By |2020-01-03T14:13:37-05:00June 23rd, 2010|Updates|

On Wednesday, June 23 the National Coalition Against Censorship is hosting an unprecedented conversation between four of America's leading playwrights -- Edward Albee, David Henry Hwang, Terrence McNally and Adam Rapp -- all of whom have experienced censorship of their work. Time Out New York's Theater Editor David Cote will moderate.

Second Life Censors Machinema Film Over Artistic Nudity

By |2020-01-03T13:38:06-05:00June 22nd, 2010|Blog|

The online virtual environment Second Life headlines the latest censorship scandal: they took down an art exhibit because SL community guidelines do not allow nudity unless it is confined to a space that has a “mature” or “adult” rating.  The work in question was an installation based on Rose Borchovski’s Susa Bubble, an anthology of machinema films following the surreal, [...]

Parental warning: books are dangerous. Here’s how to protect your kids from subversive ideas.

By |2020-01-03T14:09:31-05:00June 22nd, 2010|Incidents|

NCAC and eight other groups blast CommonSenseMedia.org for its book rating system, which warns about all the things “to watch out for” hidden between the covers of books, but rarely has anything good to say about the value of literature and reading.

Indiana school board to review Toni Morrison’s “Song of Solomon”

By |2019-03-15T15:25:41-04:00June 18th, 2010|Blog|

As we reported in our latest edition of Censorship News, Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon was recently removed from an Indiana high school’s AP English class on April 28 after a parent and school board members complained about its content.  Two days later, the book was returned to the class when a committee of educators and parents [...]

The Kid’s Right to Read Project Urges Indiana School to Keep Song of Solomon

By |2019-03-15T18:11:15-04:00June 18th, 2010|Incidents|

As we reported in our latest edition of Censorship News, Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon was recently removed from an Indiana high school’s AP English class on April 28 after a parent and school board members complained about its content. Two days later, the book was returned to the class when a committee of educators and parents ruled in favor of keeping the book. On June 21, the Franklin Township school board will hear an appeal of the committee’s decision.

State Governments Use Money to Censor Movies Filmed In Their States That Disturb Their Sensibilities and Egos.

By |2020-01-03T13:38:05-05:00June 17th, 2010|Blog|

Should states withhold film incentive because a film criticizes its anti-immigration policies or shows too much violence, or because a state official just finds it “objectionable”? As a way to bring business and revenue to their regions, various states have started creating tax incentives for filmmakers to make their movie there.  A film’s cast and crew can bring millions of [...]

Piecing Together the Copyright Puzzle

By |2010-08-03T13:25:00-04:00June 15th, 2010|Uncategorized|

Figuring out copyright can be like piecing together a puzzle. You have a good idea how it’s supposed to work in the end, but all the little pieces can be confusing to piece together. These links can help you learn more about copyright yourself and t...

No no, a cartoon, naked man in it, no, Apple won’t have it

By |2020-01-03T13:38:04-05:00June 11th, 2010|Blog|

Take a look at this panel from an iPad graphic novel app based on James Joyce’s 20th century classic, Ulysses. There is a part in the story where a character, Buck Mulligan, strips down and jumps in the Irish Sea for a swim. Here it is in Joyce's original: He nodded to himself as he drew off his trousers and [...]

MMS distorted environmental assessment of offshore drilling in Alaska

By |2020-01-05T23:50:45-05:00June 10th, 2010|Blog|

MMS distorted environmental assessment of offshore drilling in Alaska (2010) In March 2010, just days before the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report revealed that during the Bush administration, the Minerals Management Service (MMS), the agency responsible for regulating the oil industry, had altered the work of environmental scientists or pressured them to produce environmental [...]

Teachers Get In Trouble for Teaching Students About Their Constitutional Rights

By |2020-01-05T23:18:33-05:00June 9th, 2010|Blog|

Two teachers at Norview High School in Norfolk, VA were recently put on administrative leave by the school after a parent complained about a video that she saw in Government class.  The video informed its audience on how to assert their constitutional rights during various encounters with police, such as during a car or house search. It was accompanied by [...]

Why would BP stifle information about the oil spill?

By |2020-01-03T13:37:49-05:00June 7th, 2010|Blog|

You might think that an accurate calculation of the amount of oil flowing into the gulf would be crucial to understanding the environmental impact of the spill.  You might also think that the nation’s top scientists would be a valuable partner to BP in the cleanup effort.  Apparently, BP would disagree.  Or do they have other priorities? The oil giant [...]

Fractured Fairey Tale

By |2020-01-03T13:37:45-05:00June 3rd, 2010|Blog|

In one of the more recent public controversies to hit the NCAC’s arts advocacy radar, two murals from a series commissioned for a Cincinnati Arts Center (CAC) exhibition were recently destroyed – one vandalized by unknown actors, the other whitewashed by a disgruntled site owner. The two murals, by former street artist Shepard Fairey (whose best known images include the [...]

Fun and Painless Summer Learning

By |2010-08-03T13:27:16-04:00June 2nd, 2010|Uncategorized|

When I was in grade school, I regularly sat down with educational workbooks that Mom had picked up at the store and filled out pages and pages of worksheets. I even played teacher, assigning worksheets to my younger sisters and brother and then grading...

Can Censorship Lead to Oil Spills?

By |2020-01-03T13:37:45-05:00June 2nd, 2010|Blog|

As evidence mounts that the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico might have been averted if experts’ warnings had been heeded, a troubling picture of suppression of scientific information in favor of a push to “drill, baby, drill” is emerging. Only days before the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, a report by the government accountability office (GAO) revealed that [...]

Playwrights On Censorship

By |2020-01-03T14:18:20-05:00June 2nd, 2010|Events|

The Free Speech Leadership Council gathered on June 23, 2010 for “Playwrights on Censorship: A Conversation with Edward Albee, David Henry Hwang, Terrence McNally, and Adam Rapp.” Time Out New York’s Theater Editor David Cote moderated the discussion and Jane Friedman hosted the event in her Manhattan home.

The Real Story Behind THE METAL CHILDREN: Censorship and Literature

By |2016-01-15T11:48:30-05:00June 1st, 2010|Events|

On Friday, June 11 at 6:00pm, at Barnes & Noble in NYC, the Vineyard Theatre presents a discussion on censorship and literature. Using Adam Rapp's personal experience as a starting point, Joan E. Bertin, Brett Gary and Mr. Rapp himself, with moderator Jeremy McCarter, will discuss the larger implications of censoring literature both in the classroom and beyond. The panel discussion is being presented in conjunction with Vineyard Theatre's world premiere production of Adam Rapp's play THE METAL CHILDREN.

Investigation of UVA Scientist Sends a Chilling Message

By |2020-01-06T00:08:21-05:00June 1st, 2010|Incidents|

Spurious investigation of UVA scientist sends a chilling message (2010) In May 2010, Union of concerned Scientists (UCS) reported that the University of Virginia was calling for an end to Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli's investigation of internationally respected climate scientist Michael Mann. Cuccinelli has a reputation as a hero among conservative tea party activists, and provided no evidence of [...]

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