Two hands working will achieve more than a million hands praying.

a

BEFORE – The original image.

AFTER – 5 minutes later with MSPaint…

a

Why is freedom so important? Perhaps a quick tour through the above link will remind you why it’s just so important. Every day, somewhere in this world, there is a writer who wants to express their thoughts in the form of fiction as a way of commenting on society, but that writer find themself facing a wall of people who want to prevent that message from being released. Censorship. It’s the only possible word to describe it.

More often than not, censorship arises when people refuse to read the book they claim is a violation of their morals and values. They are simply bleeting, mindless sheep who are listening to the loudest of their kin. They echo everything and believe it with their dying breath because no one told them to read the book and think for themselves.

Challenged Books & Magazine List

Rather than simply list off challenged books, I’d thought I’d link to the pdf itself and allow you the read to take a look. After all, I couldn’t include everything; it would take all day. In whis way, I’m providing you with the information you seek if you’re interested.

You’re probably wondering at this point, what could have prompted me to key in this diatribe? What kind of idiocy could I have encountered? To you, I point to this article in the Toronto Star: Atwood novel too brutal, sexist for school: Parent

The Atwood novel in question is one I studied in OAC Canadian Literature, The Handmaid’s Tale. The novel was originally meant to be studied by 18-19 year old students; in my case, I was much younger since I managed to finish my English credits before the end of the first semester of grade 12. The novel is now studied by students who are 16-17 years old. And yet, there is a parent concerned that his son won’t learn anything from this.

If this parent was concerned about his son’s exposure to anything vile, maybe the father should be starting with whatever the son watches at home, the games he plays or the music he listens to. Sanitize your own home all you want, but leave the public realm untouched. The public doesn’t need another nanny-figure telling us what students should and shouldn’t read.

Russell Morton Brown, a retired University of Toronto English professor, said The Handmaid’s Tale wasn’t likely written for 17-year-olds, “but neither are a lot of things we teach in high school, like Shakespeare.

“And they are all the better for reading it. They are on the edge of adulthood already, and there’s no point in coddling them,” he said, adding, “they aren’t coddled in terms of mass media today anyway.”

He said the book has been accused of being anti-Christian and, more recently, anti-Islamic because the women are veiled and polygamy is allowed.

But that “misses the point,” said Brown. “It’s really antifundamentalism.”

I could have quoted different aspects of the article, but this is the best part. It best summarises up the point as to why books shouldn’t be removed from schools just because there is one parent who doesn’t like it.

As for me… I’ll be reading a book or two this weekend. I haven’t decided what I want to read yet, the three chapters of my corporate law text, the first one of wills and estates or if I want to delve into my real estate text…

a

Essentially, it’s a spin-off of the PC-MAC ads. Only it’s actually funny.

Episode 1

That’s just the first episode. And if you share a sense of humour with the rest of us, do watch the rest, which are found on that website; the link is at the bottom. It’s perfect evidence that Canadians aren’t short on talent and that we do have a sense of humour. Even if the rest of the world doesn’t get it. Hell, how many people “get” English humour who aren’t either English or a rabid frothing-at-the-mouth fan of Monty Python*?

* This blogger realises that this is a gross generalisation and apologises to anyone who was offended by her verbal diahorrea and hopes her readers have a sense of humour as well.

a

————————————————————————

What’s in a name? Can a few proper nouns summarize the essence of a human being? If a man is only as good as his name does that man have the sole rights to its selective usage? Not according to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers who is the world’s regulating body for internet domain names.

Let’s back up that tractor a bit first. (beep beep beep)

Blogger and native Edmontonian Dave Cournoyer, aka Daveberta, is a vocal member of Canada’s Liberal party and a staunch opponent of the provincial Progressive Conservative party of which reigning Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach is a member. Dave recently registered the publicly and freely available domain name “edstelmach.ca” for fourteen bucks and pointed it to his blog. Shortly thereafter, with nary a warning shot, Dave was contacted by the Stelmach’s lawyers who demanded he desist in pointing this domain name to his blog and that he surrender the domain to the Premier at once, else the coyotes of litigation would git to howlin’.

Cournoyer, unswayed by these empty threats, merely pointed the domain to the Wikipedia article on Harry Strom, a former Alberta Premier who was criticized similarly to Stelmach as a good old farm boy whose reputation dwindled for being oblivious to the needs of the province’s flourishing urban centres. Threatening this indebted University of Alberta student due to his misunderstanding of the workings of the internet certainly bolsters such comparison.

Does Stelmach have the authority to unleash his stampede of thoroughbred lawyers on this poor kid in his jurisdiction? Well sure he does – it’s his got-dang right as a western Canadian. But that’s as far as he’ll mosey along, ah reckon.

The US Copyright Office, who regulates the ICANN, has this to say on the matter of copyright…

… on domain names:

“Copyright law does not protect domain names. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), a nonprofit organization that has assumed the responsibility for domain name system management, administers the assignation of domain names through accredited registers.”

… and on proper names:

“Names are not protected by copyright law.” and “Copyright does not protect names, titles, slogans, or short phrases.”

That’s right, it’s first come first serve in the Wild Wild Web. (otherwise translated for Stelmach’s benefit as “them dubyas”)

It seems that unless the very Right (if not Honourable) Premier might have to prove that he is either the world’s one and only Ed Stelmach, the supposely infringing use of his name detracts from his brand, the domain name disingenuously cuts his profits by impersonating his brand and thereby tricking customers, or that his name is the entirety of a catchy corporate slogan. (might I recommend, like George Costanza before him, the “by Mennen” tune?)

Ed Stelmach may as well hitch up and git along. Daveberta is making a stand and won’t be ponying up any time soon.

For more information on this topic I’ve blogged previously (here and here) about corporate bullying for domain names.

“Yeee haw, lit’s wrangle up this internet sumbitch!” – not actually said by Ed Stelmach

a