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ORLANDO An atheist activist group is suing one of the countrys largest public school districts after officials allowed some materials to be distributed, but prohibited items of a more controversial and explicit nature.

As previously reported, the Central Florida Freethought Community (CFFC) learned in January that a Christian ministry was distributing Bibles in Orange County high schools on Religious Freedom Day. According to a press release from Liberty Counsel, the Bibles were simply placed on tables in school lobbies and cafeterias, where interested students could take them if they so desired. Orange County is the nations 12th largest school district.

When CFFC learned of the Bible distribution, theyalong with support from the nationwide Freedom From Religion Foundationcountered with a plan to supply atheistic and anti-Christian literature to the same students. This plan was strategically executed in May onthe National Day of Prayer.

Why Women Need Freedom From Religion, Ten Common Myths about Atheists, and What is Wrong with the Ten Commandments? were some of the publications made available to students by the atheists. However, Orange County school officials prohibited the atheists from distributing other more controversial books and pamphlets, such as Why Jesus? An X-Rated Book: Sex & Obscenity in the Bible, and Jesus Is Dead.

Several of the prohibited books and booklets contain statements that were overtly anti-Christian. For instance, Why Jesus? examines the disturbing side of [Jesus] character, and Jesus Is Dead suggests that Jesus not only never rose from the dead, but he never lived in the first place.

In a letter to CFFC, school officials carefully outlined why they rejected several of the secular publications, citing inappropriate references to sexuality, gruesome surgical operations, prostitution, and other offensive language. The district pointed out how one book alone, titled Letter to a Christian Nation, includes overt references to sex, back-alley abortions, cannibalism, as well as the statements that God is the most prolific abortionist of all and that killing a fly should present one with greater moral difficulty than killing a human blastocyst.

However, now CFFC has announced that it has filed a lawsuit against the school district in response to the censorship of some of the materials. The 75-pagelawsuitclaims that the school district (the Defendants) severely violated the atheists (the Plaintiffs) constitutional rights.

Defendants violation of Plaintiffs right to free speech has caused, and will continue to cause Plaintiffs to suffer undue and actual hardship and irreparable injury, the lawsuit states. Plaintiffs have no adequate remedy at law to correct the continuing deprivations of its most cherished constitutional liberties. As a direct and proximate result of Defendants continuing violations of Plaintiffs rights, Plaintiffs have suffered in the past, and will continue to suffer in the future, direct and consequential damages, including but not limited to, the loss of the ability to exercise their constitutional rights.

One of the primary claims in the lawsuit is that the Bible includes mentions of violence, murder, torture, and cannibalism. Since the secular publications are no worse, the atheists argue, they should be permitted.

However, Mathew Staver of Liberty Counsel suggested to local news affiliate WFTV that the atheists real goal is not to promote balance or fairness in public schools. Rather, it is to attack Biblical faith.

See the original post here:
Atheists File Lawsuit Following Alleged ‘Censorship’ of Material Attacking Christianity

Chinese anti-censorship campaigners have rejoiced at the news that the man considered to be the architect of the country's 'great firewall', Fang Binxing, has announced plans to retire his post after suffering ill health.

In a speech to graduating students at Beijing's University of Post and Telecommunication at which he holds a professorship, 53 year-old Binxing cited a serious illness as the reason for his departure.

"Due to excessive demands on my body, and without enough time to replenish, I have experienced a serious illness and lost the capacity to stay up working day and night," he said in translated comments on the University's website.

"I can no longer put both academic research and administrative duty on my shoulders. This is why I have told the authorities that I will not serve for another term.

No date for that departure has been confirmed but already some of his critics expressed satisfaction at the news.

We are glad that you are gone! read one of the more polite comments translated from a post on China's equivalent of Twitter, Weibo.

The technocratic Binxing has become a touchstone for unhappiness at the State's censorship of Internet content. In May 2011, a campaigner reportedly threw eggs and shoes at him during one of his speeches. Some months before that incident his growing unpopularity was underlined by the defacement of a blog he published. Such open expresions of disrespect were considered highly unusual.

If as appears the case Binxing is gone for good, the 'golden shield' censorship system he helped create will mark him out as the key figure in the early period of China's digital growth. Whether it survives in in the long term is uncertain but few expect any short-term relaxation of its filtering.

With US politicians angsting about possible spying backdoors in equipment from telecoms firm Huawei, Binxing was also one figure willing to accuse US companies such as Google and Cisco of playing the same game to carry out surveillance on China.

Link:
China's great firewall censorship architect retires citing ill health

Dear OneGodOnlyOne Aka That Censorship Queen
A clear message to OneGodOnlyOne on how building your walls from censorship is not the formation of the stronghold of free speech, rather the opposite. I #39;m a...

By: EssenceOfThought

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Dear OneGodOnlyOne Aka That Censorship Queen - Video

Great artists will tell you on the regular that the key to making great art is to make it for yourself first, but thats not always a realistic end point for people creating art for a living especially when youve got to think about the audience. Do you make something for everyone globally, or do you make something for a small group? How do you actually make something that speaks to everyone?

Jetsetter, Digital Trends weekly column devoted to import gaming and game development outside the US, exists because its impossible to make art that truly speaks to everyone. Even if a game doesnt directly speak to you, even if it wasnt made with you in mind, that doesnt mean it isnt worth experiencing. Broaden those horizons!

Forget figuring out how to navigate the murky waters of finding your audience when youre designing a game, its hard enough just making sure your game can even legally get released around the world. Just because the ESRB in the US says a game is rated M for Mature audiences, that doesnt mean everyone agrees. Australia has long had a reputation for ferocious censorship of video games. It was only in 2012 thatthe country started rating games for audiences 18-years-old and up. Before that, games like Grand Theft Auto 4 were simply barred classification in the country and never legally released. Even with R18+ classification, though, Australia is still stopping games from release. Volitions Saints Row IV was refused just this past week due to implied sexual violence and illicit or proscribed drug use related to incentives or rewards.

It is baffling what Australias ratings board does and does not consider appropriate. Drug use? Thats right out. A game like Ninja Gaiden 3: Razors Edge, a game where gutting human beings is the whole point, is just fine.

Russia loves its MMOs, just look at the crazy following for World of Tanks in the country. Last December, 600,000 Russian citizens were playing that gameat the same time. Russian developer Allods Team recognizes a good thing when it sees it, hence why its developing Skyforge, a new fantasy MMO that actually looks pretty swell. In a market glutted with World of Warcraft knock offs, generic Korean fantasy MMOs, and dwindling online populations, a polished but familiar game like Skyforge actually stands out.

As reported by Eurogamer, Skyforge has some help in the form of Obsidian Entertainment, the famed RPG developer behind games like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II. Obsidian is busy cracking away on games like Project Eternity, but its taking time out to help advise Allods on how to bring Skyforge to the rest of the world. Its a good example of what needs to be done to rethink games for the world stage.

We love Atlus here at Jetsetter. A lot. So, so much. And not just because of its recent hits like Persona 4 and Catherine. We love Atlus from way back, like when they were pumping out import-only Sega Saturn games like Purikura Daisakusen. So the news that Atlus parent company Index is not only under investigation for fraud, but may also have to declare bankruptcy was distressing. What will happen to Persona 5?! Since Atlus is one of the healthiest parts of Indexs business, with a host of popular IPs with global appeal, its likely that the studio will be acquired by another company rather than shuttering alongside the parent should it come to that.

Seriously, go play Purikura Daisakusen! And Super Valis IV for Super Nintendo! And all the other amazing stuff Atlus has been pumping out for the past few decades.

Original post:
Jetsetter: Australia, censorship, and the banning of ‘Saints Row IV’

"Think of the children! Censorship and young people online" by Professor Andy Phippen
ORGCon conferences: Professor Andy Phippen, an expert on the effect on young people of their use of new technology, talked about children #39;s exposure to #39;harm...

By: OpenRightsGroup

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"Think of the children! Censorship and young people online" by Professor Andy Phippen - Video