Baseball Caps Banned, Cause Deviant Behavior

Baseball caps — like the one I’m currently wearing — have been banned from a chain of Scottish cafes. Why? Because those who wear them are predisposed to deviant and anti-social behavior. Other UK locales have banned hooded sweatshirts by the same logic.

From BBC News:

Easyinternetcafes —- owned by Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the founder of low cost airline Easyjet — claims the headgear is linked with “deviant” behaviour.

The ban on wearing caps is to be piloted at the chain’s branches in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

If the trial is successful, it will be introduced in all 41 Easyinternetcafes across the UK.

The chain’s management claimed people in baseball caps made other customers feel uncomfortable and that wearers were difficult to identify on CCTV.

James Rothnie, the firm’s director of corporate affairs, said the ban had been introduced after a spate of thefts.

He told The Sunday Times: “We want to make sure that our cafes are places where customers can relax and feel secure.

“Since deviant behaviour can be associated with the wearing of baseball caps we are politely asking people who enter our premises not to wear caps.

“This policy is designed to combat anti-social behaviour such as theft.”

This week Paisley became the first town centre in Britain to ban youths wearing hooded tops from all of its major stores.

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Tony Blair backed a ban on hoodies at the Bluewater shopping centre in Kent.

Update: School Distributes Edited Student Newspaper

Yesterday, Chris Zammarelli told you about an Oak Ridge (TN) Superintendent’s decision to destroy all 1800 copies of the student published newspaper.

Today, Superintendent Tom Bailey announced that an edited version of the paper would be distributed instead.

From the Tennessean:

A censored version of an Oak Ridge High School newspaper will be printed after administrators confiscated an earlier edition that they considered offensive, Superintendent Tom Bailey said yesterday.

Administrators at Oak Ridge High School went into teachers’ classrooms, desks and mailboxes a week ago to retrieve all 1,800 copies of the student-produced newspaper. An article about birth control and another on student tattoos and body piercings were cited by administrators as the reason for the seizures.

Bailey said in a statement the edition will be reprinted today without the birth control story and with an edited tattoo story.

The recall of the newspapers sparked debate inside and outside the school and sparked student protests at a board of education meeting Monday.

David Stuart, a lawyer for the student journalists, said they haven’t chosen what to do yet but could file a lawsuit in state or federal court seeking an opinion on whether the seizure violates the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of the press. A court win could yield an injunction against future seizures.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, Everett, WA, school officials are taking heat for altering a student newspaper without consulting or informing the paper’s student editors.

From the Student Press Law Center:

School officials printed and distributed an altered version of Everett High School’s student newspaper without the student editors’ permission or knowledge last week.

The administrators’ move is the latest in a fight between school officials and student editors over an editorial statement proclaiming the student newspaper a student forum that the publication’s editors want printed in the paper.

But the version of the Kodak passed out by school officials last Wednesday did not include the statement, said editor Claire Lueneberg. She said she was surprised and disgusted when she found out school officials went behind her back.

“It looks like crap – the paper is a disgrace to the Kodak,” Lueneberg said of the issue. The paper is more than a month late, all the dates are wrong and the photos that were edited to be in color were printed in black and white, she said.

Gay Campbell, a school district spokeswoman, said the district’s move was not about Lueneberg and fellow editor Sara Eccleston’s battle to publish without prior review, it was about getting the issue out to students who have been without a newspaper this year.

[…]

The statement the principal is objecting to reads:

The Kodak is a student forum for the student body of Everett High School. We are not subject to prior review by administrators, faculty or community members. Editorial decisions are made by the student editors-in-chief and the editorial board. Our right to free speech is guaranteed under the First Amendment of the Constitution and under the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) Article 1, Section 5. Student free speech is also protected by Everett High School District Policy 3220.

Lawsuit Over “The Simpsons”

A Russian man says “The Simpsons” hurts morals.

From the UPI:

The Moscow City Court Monday agreed to consider the appeal of a Russian man’s lawsuit that said “The Simpsons” was a bad influence on his son.

Igor Smykov filed suit three years ago claiming the independent Moscow station, RenTV, promoted drug use, violence and homosexuality with its programming, including the U.S. Fox TV hit, “The Simpsons,” Ria Novosti reported.

His suit seeking $10,000 in moral damages and the cancellation of “The Simpsons” was tossed out by a lower court judge, but the decision was overturned by a higher court on the basis of a technical error. Now, the suit will again be considered in the Moscow City Court Dec. 1, Smykov said.

Writers’ Thoughts on Pending British Hate Speech Law

The Guardian published excerpts on Saturday from Freedom Is No Offence, a book by English PEN. (You can find out more about English PEN on their About page.)

The excerpted pieces, by Salman Rushdie, Philip Hensher, Monica Ali, and Philip Pullman, discuss possible legislation in Great Britain to outlaw hate speech by religious groups.

Mexico, MO, Removes Seventeen Magazine from Library

The school board of Mexico, Missouri (a town whose motto is “Walk Back in Time”), has voted to remove Seventeen magazine from its library shelves. From the Mexico Ledger:

Following an appeal of a decision to retain Seventeen magazine in the library of Mexico Junior High School, the school board reversed a committee’s decision and voted to eliminate the publication from the junior high and high school as well.

Mexico school district parent Marla Fuller first raised these concerns at a public meeting on Oct. 14, where she voiced objections concerning the age-appropriateness and sexually explicit nature of the magazine. Magazine industry surveys say Seventeen is marketed to girls age 12 to 24.

A committee composed of teachers and parents voted to retain the magazine in the library with some restrictions. Only eighth grade students and sixth and seventh grade students with a note from their parents would be able to look at the magazine.

Tuesday night, Fuller appeared with six other parents who shared her concerns, including State Sen. John Cauthorn.

In addressing the board, Fuller, who has no children at the junior high, said the restrictions on the magazine would create more problems. She was concerned that once the magazine was in the hands of an eighth grade student or younger student with permission, there would be no way to stop it from being handed off to other students. Also, she felt the “forbidden magazine” would become a “rite of passage,” made more attractive to students by its illicit status.

Fuller asserted the magazine’s sexual content made it a part of the school’s sex education curriculum, and district policy mandates parents be informed of what their children are learning in sex education. Because the content of the magazine changes every month, she said it was an inappropriate source of curriculum for students.

A quick look at Seventeen’s website provides us with this helpful tip: “Sometimes it seems like it takes forever for your polish to dry. In addition to quick-drying formulas, polishes with sparkles or glitter generally dry faster. Another bonus: Smudges are less noticeable!” Hey, thanks!

All the Ads Not Fit to Print

The aptly named BestRejectedAdvertising.com features banned and rejected advertisements from around the world.

Says the website:

These examples from the forthcoming book, Best Rejected Advertising Volume Three, are print ads, TV and radio commercials that prompted consumer complaints.
All campaigns are published alongside the rulings or adjudications from national advertising standard authorities or comparable self-regulating organizations.

By presenting the material from European and Overseas countries we hope to offer a view of the process of self-regulation practiced by national Advertising Standard Authorities in each country, as well as of national standards of “taste & decency” in those countries.

Banned print ads in the collection include several that feature implied (i.e., not depicted) violence or sex; an ad featuring a chubby Barbie-like doll — which supposedly traumatized a young girl; a Russian ad that apparently catches two currency symbols in flagrante delicto; a British anti-smoking ad that was offensive to dwarfs; an Italian fashion ad that “trivialized the intense and dramatic moment during the Last Supper”; and a poster for the 2002 US release of Roger Avary’s “Rules of Attraction” (it featured a kind of teddy bear Kama Sutra).

The ads will also be collected in an upcoming book.

See the ads at Best Rejected Advertising.

‘Bad Elf’ Not Welcome in CT

From CBS4 in Boston:

The state of Connecticut is banning sales of a couple holiday beers with Santa on the label.

“Seriously Bad Elf” beer is a British import, that�s distributed by a company in Belchertown, Massachusetts. Its label shows an elf with a slingshot firing Christmas ornaments at Santa’s sleigh.

“Warm Welcome” is another beer distributed by Shelton Brothers. Its label features an image of Santa dropping down a chimney into a fire.

Connecticut state regulations bar alcohol advertising with images, like Santa, that might appeal to children.

The beer’s distributor, Shelton Brothers, has enlisted the help of the American Civil Liberties Union in fighting the ban.

Dan Shelton says his company had no such problems when it sold Bad Elf and Very Bad Elf in previous years. It sells the beer in 30 other states and none have complained.

“We even had a beer called Santa’s Butt last year,” Shelton said. “They didn’t notice Santa’s Butt, but they notice this one. How can you miss that big red thing? Minors are not going to be looking to buy beer because Santa Claus is on the label.”

And if anything, perhaps the image of an about-to-be-toast Santa will frighten young children into lifelong temperance. Consider it a scared-straight program — with elves!

Don’t Like It? Don’t Read It.

A simple argument against prudish censorship, published in a letter to the edtior of the Salt Lake City Tribune:

very couple of months it seems that The Tribune prints a handful of letters from angry readers demanding that the comics “Boondocks” and/or “Doonesbury” be moved to the editorial page, or removed from the publication entirely. The arguments tend to be that comics should be funny, appropriate for children, and hold no political or social agenda.

Yet I never see letters demanding the removal of “Mary Worth,” which is most decidedly not funny, or really even readable for that matter. No one seems to be outraged by “For Better or For Worse,” which very rarely addresses topics that would be entertaining to children. Could it be that these individuals are only interested in censoring that with which they don’t agree?

When I read the comics as a child I would seek out the strips I enjoyed, and I would skip the ones that didn’t speak to me. As an adult, I am fully capable of the same selective reading. This ability applies not only to the comics. I also enjoy reading Maureen Dowd, and occasionally Molly Ivins, but don’t bother with Cal Thomas. I don’t need The Tribune to remove content I don’t wish to read. I simply don’t read it. I suspect the rest of The Tribune’s readership is fully capable of the same.

Matt Palmer
Bountiful

Is it so simple that it’s too complicated for some? Paging the PTC…

Halloween Canceled, Deemed Fire Hazard

Despite the US having celebrated the dress-up-and-beg-for-candy holiday since the especially flammable 19th century, officials in Hammond, IN, have decided that Halloween costumes pose a fire hazard.

Therefore, there will be no Halloween in Hammond schools this year.

From Fox 19, Cincinnati:

HAMMOND, Ind. (AP) - Hammond schools are banning Halloween costumes and parades this fall, citing safety concerns.

School officials say they’re concerned about evacuating school buildings full of costumed children in event of a fire and are worried about the safety of costumed students walking down the street. They’ve also had complaints about celebrating Halloween.

So instead of holding Halloween parties at the schools, they’ll have a fall festival. Costumes will not be allowed at the fall festival, although some P-T-A organizations may offer parties after school.

The changes were outlined in a letter sent home to parents. School officials say they’ve had only three complaints from parents of their six-thousand children in grades Kindergarten through sixth.

The “public safety” excuse is bollocks.

If evacuation-friendly dress is important on Halloween, it should be important every day. Therefore, schools should institute dress codes requirements of, say, flame-retardant jogging suits and running shoes.

And if they work it right, Nike would probably sponsor the effort.

Piglet, Porky Exiled During Ramadan

I’m all for religious sensitivity, but come on.

A town council in the UK has municipal employees to hide their workplace porcine paraphernalia during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Pigs — they’re offensive to Muslems.

From the Hindustan Times:

A local council has banned novelty items featuring pigs in case they offend Muslim staff. Products including toys, porcelain, calendars and even a tissue box featuring Winnie the Pooh and Piglet must be removed or covered up, workers in the benefits department have been instructed.

The orders were issued after a Muslim worker complained. He said they were offended by some items at Dudley Council in the West Midlands. The partner of one worker in the department said, “It’s caused a bit of atmosphere in the office. The staff did comply but it’s just crazy. Ornaments that have been for years have been removed.”

The council’s head of finance said the member of staff had been offended by the products in the run-up to the Islamic festival of Ramadan, which starts on Tuesday. He said the decision whether the items should be allowed after Ramadan will be taken after the festival is over.

AlterNet on Gay Book Bans

Readers of this site don’t need to be told that the bannination of “gay” books is on the rise.

Still, read this article at AlterNet to find out how widespread the practice really is.

Paris Mayor Condemns Censorship of Transit Ads

The mayor of Paris (France, that is) has sent a verbal dope-slap to the operator of the city’s bus and metro service.

The transit company banned a series of ads for a “gay trade show” that depicted a chaste kiss between a gay couple. The transit authority feared the ads would “risk shocking the public.”

Mayor Bertrand Delanoe issued a statement saying “The images, which simply depict a kiss between two members of the same sex, in no way justify this act of censorship.”

From the Advocate.

Meanwhile…

Two labor unions representing flight attendants have called for a boycott of the Jodie Foster flick “Flight Plan.” The movie, it would, seem, portrays the airborne waitrons in a negative light.

In the Jodie Foster thriller about a mother looking for her missing daughter aboard a plane, a flight attendant colludes with an air marshal as part of a plot to extort a ransom from the airline.

Other flight attendants are shown treating passengers rudely and being unsympathetic to Foster’s character, whom they think might be delusional.

The groups contend that the Disney film could breed distrust of their members among real airline passengers.

“Should there be another 9/11, it would be critical for the cabin crew to have the support of their passengers, not the distrust that this movie may engender,” said Tommie Hutto-Blake, president of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants. “Our fellow crew members who perished in the line of duty deserve more respect.”

If nothing else, the union gets points for its clever invoking of 9/11.

Buh-bye.

Crazy Frog Sent to Bed without Supper

Britain’s Crazy Frog, an “infuriating” ringtone spokesman with strangely mammalian genitalia, won’t be allowed on the tube until after 9:00 p.m. (Some observers were hoping for an outright ban, for the sake of peace, if nothing else.)

The ostensible reason for the ban: Crazy Frog’s parent company, Jamba, failed to reveal that the amphibian’s ringtones are only available as part of a subscription package.

Despite Britain’s near-universal hatred of the Frog, the ringtones’ songs — such as Axel F — have rocketed to the top of the UK’s charts.

Starbucks Coffee Makes You Gay!!

Officials at Baylor University, that big ol’ Baptist school in Waco, have ordered the campus Starbucks to stop serving coffee in homo cups.

Starbucks currently features a collection of quotes on its cups, part of a series titled “The Way I See It.” The cup that so offended Baylor administrators boasted a quote from author Armistead Maupin, creator of the uber-gay “Tales of the City.” His quote:

“My only regret about being gay is that I repressed it for so long. I surrendered my youth to the people I feared when I could have been out there loving someone. Don’t make that mistake yourself. Life’s too damn short.”

(For a bit of context, Baylor only recently overturned its historic ban on dancing.)

The Starbucks cups have also received fire from the Concerned Women for America. The CWA would like to see some conservative quotes on Starbucks cups.

For your edification, McSweeney’s offers a list of quotes that didn’t make it into the Starbucks lineup.

When Is a Glass Slipper Not a Glass Slipper?

The Latvian National Opera company has been forbidden from performing its staging of Prokofiev’s classic “Cinderella” ballet.

The Latvians updated the classic story, with which we’re all familiar, by changing its setting from Cinderella’s castle to Cinderella’s brothel. The managers of composer Prokofiev’s estate were fit to be tied — and not in the whorehouse sense.

Reports the BBC:

“There was a huge gap between the original music and the new story,” said Noelle Mann, curator of the Sergei Prokofiev Archive.

But the opera company said it was “a very beautiful and sincere story”.

The ballet had been performed twice before receiving the hook.

For its part, the Latvian National Opera says it is “willing to continue the dialogue with the Prokofiev Foundation to find a compromise in this situation so that the audience is not deprived of seeing this beautiful ballet again.”

In Other London Ad Ban News…

Ad sensitivities in London aren’t limited to gold-digging men on leashes.

An ad for Barclay Bank has been pulled from the telly after viewer complaints.

The ad showed a man being stung in the mouth by a bee or a wasp that had climbed into a drinks can. He ran to a nearby lake to cool down and his face was shown to be visibly swollen. He then fell into the water, emerging covered in weeds and mud and howling in pain. The man then approached a restaurant, where people began to scream at his appearance.

The ad finished with police shooting the man with a tranquiliser, before he was arrested and a voiceover said: “Statistically, you’re more likely to be arrested than change your bank account”.

Londoners are understandably gun-shy these days when it comes to images of innocents being shot by the police (even with traquilizer guns). Remember the shoot-to-kill incident on July 22, when an innocent Brazilian was shot seven times because police thought his backpack might be a bomb?

So maybe it’s no surprise that the ad was banned because of its portrayal of a police shooting.

Hang on a second — this just in…

The Advertising Standards Authority received over a hundred complaints about the ad, with the majority of people claiming that the ad was offensive to allergy sufferers because “it made light of a potentially fatal situation”.

Nearly a hundred viewers claimed to have suffered personal distress from seeing the ad, because they or their loved ones, suffered from allergies. More than 20 viewers also said that they, or people they knew, had nearly or actually died from the same adverse reaction depicted in the ad.

The ASA upheld the complaints and said that the ad should not be shown again, due to a “significant number of viewers” being “clearly distressed” by seeing the ad.

Seven viewers also complained that their children had been frightened by the commercial, while 12 viewers complained that the ad was “horrific”, due to the man’s appearance.

Offensive to allergy sufferers.

Huh.

And I have nothing more to say about that.

From the UK’s 4 National News.

Jerry Hall Posters Ousted from London Tube

Posters promoting an upcoming VH1 series starring leggy Texan (and Jagger ex) Jerry Hall have been removed from the London Underground.

“Kept,” which has already aired stateside, features 12 very dignified young men vying to become Hall’s sexual plaything. The poster’s advertising the series’ London debut featured those 12 men, partially clothed, tethered to Hall on leashes.

Tube officials protested, saying the posters were “sexually demeaning.”

Seems that the Tube, which has recently been the target of terrorist attacks, would have heavier priorities.

From The Evening Standard.

No More Grand Theft Auto in Australia

After deliberation, Australia’s official censor has banned the sale of controverial video game “Grand Theft Auto.”

From the Sydney Morning Herald:

“The Classification Board made this decision on the basis that it contains contentious material (activated through a code or otherwise) that was not brought to the board’s attention when it was classified,” it said in a statement.

The board found the game’s content “contained material that could not be accommodated at the MA15+ classification”.

It is now illegal to sell the game, which had been rated MA 15+, the highest classification for video games in Australia. The game has already sold more than a quarter of a million copies.

Last week, Coles Myer — which owns the Myer, Target and Kmart stores — and David Jones immediately pulled the game from their shelves.

Oklahoma Says Violent Video Games Not OK

Oklahoma legislator Fred Morgan wants Oklahoma to limit the sale of video games to minors.

From KOTV:

State Representative Fred Morgan says most parents don’t know what’s in the video games their kids are playing.

Morgan believes the country could be in for an explosion of video game-related violence if they are not keep them out of the hands of young people. “I think the concern is that young kids are being desensitized to abuse against women, violence, putting themselves in the role of the aggressor and what psychological impact that may have.”

New York Senator Hillary Clinton agrees. She wants the federal investigation of the popular video game Grand Theft Auto. Senator Clinton wants the Federal Trade Commission to look into how game users are able to access porn and violent content on the Internet.

The American Civil Liberties Union says video games are a form of protected speech. It believes parents should decide what their children can watch, not the government.

A similar ban recently passed in Illinois, but one was killed in California.

Illinois Governor: 8-Year-Olds Have No Constitutional Rights

From the He-Could-Have-Phrased-It-Better file:

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich recently shepherded through the Lege a ban on the sale of violent video games to minors.

The ban has been met with opposition from free speech groups, and similar bans in Washington and Missouri have been struck down by the courts.

Blagojevich, however, remains convinced that the ban is a good idea.

From a Fox News report:

“If you’re 18 or older and you’re a grownup and an adult, that’s your business,” Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich said. “But I don’t believe that my 8-year-old daughter has a constitutional right to cut someone’s head off in a game that she plays.”

The video game industry has promised legal action to overturn the ban. Thus far there’s been no statement from the League of United 8-Year-Olds.

One Community’s Libraries, Bookstores Vow Not to Censor

These days, you’ve got to seize upon good news anywhere you can find it — even if it’s buried in a brief, online report from a small market TV news channel.

A book called The Rainbow Party has made some waves over the past couple months. Parents are outraged at the prospect of having to address the subject matter with their kids. Right-wing pundits are frothing at the mouth. Overall, seems like a widespread book ban is on the horizon.

But dig through this report from Iowa’s KWWL, and you’ll find that some libraries and bookstores are standing firm.

It’s not on the shelves at the Cedar Rapids Public Library, but it could be. Cedar Rapids library assistant director Bryan Davis says, “we base our decisions based on demand and anticipated need. If a book is potentially controversial , that isn’t part of our equation. If the community wants the book, then we are willing to get it.”

A spokesperson for Barnes and Noble says the book store will not censor controversial books. The same goes for the public library. Davis says, “we depend on the parents to monitor what their children read. And it’s for the reason that there is a wide range of taste and parenting styles within the community and it’s impossible for the library to satisfy each and every one of those.”

Benesh says her parents don’t censor what she reads. She says they don’t have to. Benesh says, “they know that I’ll read the appropriate stuff. They’re not worried about me reading anything I shouldn’t be reading.”

Refreshing, no?

McDonald’s Ad Banned in China; Insulted Viewers

McDonald’s has learned a lesson about how not to advertise to the Chinese consumer.

Chinese television has stopped airing an ad that depicted a Chinese man on his knees, begging a hamburger hawker to accept an expired coupon. The ad had a happy ending — turns out that McDonald’s coupons never expire in China. However, the spot ruffled the feathers of Chinese officials, who were offended by the image of the begging man.

“What a shame that the commercial portrayed Chinese consumers as willing bend to such a petty interest!” said one complainer.

McDonald’s issued a statement that basically said, “Hey, we thought it was funny.”

From the Xinhua news agency.

California Game Ban Bill Dies

From Reuters:

A bill before the California Assembly to ban the sale of violent video games has been shelved because of a lack of support, an aide to its author said on Friday.

Assemblyman Leland Yee has deactivated his bill after failing to muster enough votes for it to pass the full Assembly, said aide Adam Keigwin.

“We’ve put it in the inactive file,” Keigwin said, noting there is a possibility Yee may ask lawmakers to revive the bill in the state Senate for a last-minute push this legislative session.

See also.

Brits Try To Ban Frog Ad, Claim Mental Torture

Britons have begun an online petition drive to ban an ad for a mobile ringtone, saying that the ad — which stars an animated Crazy Frog — has caused “days of endless mental trauma.” The ad apparently runs as often as twice an hour on some stations. [Correction from a reader in the UK.]

The petition seeks remedy in the form of “(i) public execution of the creator of the crazy frog, (ii) public execution of the person whole stole the sound sample [”Axl F,” from the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack, which every child of the 80s learned to play on the neighbor’s Casio keyboard], or (iii) a free lunch to the limit of €9.99.”

The ad has provoked a spate of legitimate complaints as well, prompting one television station to reconsider its airing of the ad.

“People seem to find it very annoying,” said a spokeswoman for the London-based Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), adding “we can only take action against the content of ads” and not how frequently they are played.

According to the Guardian, the ASA has received about 800 complaints regarding the ad. “About 200 people complained that the commercial from ringtone company Jamster was targeting children as potential subscribers, while another 600 thought Crazy Frog appeared on TV too often.”

Online viewers, however, are straight out of luck. The ad had been accessible on the Visit4Info site, but a message on their homepage currently states: “Our service provider has suffered physical damage to equipment, this failure has caused us to have technical issues which engineers are currently working on to resolve. Many apologies for any inconvienience caused.”