ERROR 451: This Page Has Been Burned

i was reading on the comic book leagal of defense fund (CBLDF) website, how error 451 has been created for the interenet. here's what the article had to say:

It’s just another average day of internet browsing. You’re doing your thing, checking the news, maybe taking a detour to your favorite webcomic. Then, WHAM (or rather, the internet version of said sound effect).

ERROR 451.

What happened? Did the servers overload? Did the connection crash? Is the address wrong?
No; this page has been burned.

Error 451 is a new HTTP Error status code proposed by Google developer advocate Tim Bray. The code would pop up the same way an Error 404 code does — except instead of being told a page could not be found, a viewer would be informed that the site is being censored.

The number is an homage to Ray Bradbury‘s Fahrenheit 451, which takes place in a dystopian future in which firemen burn books because the government has declared reading illegal.

According to Wired’s WebMonkey blog, the biggest advantage of the 451 code is that it would explain why content is unavailable — such as which legal authority is imposing the restriction. This would let visitors know that the government, not the Internet Service Provider, is the reason for the page’s malfunction. Currently, 403 errors are most often used when blocking access to censored pages.

Error code 451 would pop up in situations such as the Indian government’s censorship of the site Cartoonists Against Corruption, which was blocked because its critique of the government was deemed “defamatory and derogatory.”

The biggest problem with the code, Bray admits, is that many governments are not fond of the idea of transparent censorship. So, if we’re lucky — or not? — this code may be popping up in our browsers in the future.

vagina

so in the michigan house of representatives state rep. lisa brown and rep. barb byrum caused an uproar when they said the word vagina and vasectomy. the legislature is considering legislation that would ban abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy, unless a pregnant woman’s life is in danger. representative brown stated in her speech to the house “Finally, Mr. Speaker, I’m flattered that you’re all so interested in my vagina, but ‘no’ means ‘no’.”. state rep. barb byrum was silenced after she tried to introduce an amendment requiring men to prove that their life is in danger before being allowed to receive a vasectomy. after they had both said this, house speaker james bolger declared in a statement that brown and byrum could not enter the house and speak on a school employees retirement bill. bolger added that they “will not be recognized to speak on the house floor today after being gaveled down for their comments and actions yesterday that failed to maintain the decorum of the house of representatives.” at a press conference where she could speak, rep. brown declared:  “"They banned me from speaking because I dared say vagina, the correct, medical name of a part of a woman's anatomy these lawmakers are trying to regulate. I am outraged that this legislative body not only wants to dictate what women do, but what we can say.” as a reaction to what had happened to them, rep brown got tony award winner eve ensler (the creator of the vagina monologues) and other state reps to do a performance of the vagina monologues on the michigan capital steps in protest.

HOLY CRAP! talk about the power of words. the legislation can regulate a woman's body but they won't let people talk about the body part they are regulating. i'm so glad rep brown did the performance of the vagina monologues on the steps of the capital. that is an amazing protest to what they are telling her she cannot say in the house. and i think it is even more amazing that the creator of the vagina monologues, eve ensler, showed to be part of the performance - let alone other politicians.

banned/challenged books

here is the list of the 10 most banned/challenged books in 2011 as according to the ALA (american library association). some new books and some classics. 

1)      ttyl; ttfn; l8r, g8r (series), by Lauren Myracle
Offensive language; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group

2)      The Color of Earth (series), by Kim Dong Hwa
Nudity; sex education; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group

3)      The Hunger Games trilogy, by Suzanne Collins
Anti-ethnic; anti-family; insensitivity; offensive language; occult/satanic; violence

4)      My Mom’s Having A Baby! A Kid’s Month-by-Month Guide to Pregnancy, by Dori Hillestad Butler
Nudity; sex education; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group

5)      The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
Offensive language; racism; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group

6)      Alice (series), by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Nudity; offensive language; religious viewpoint

7)      Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
Insensitivity; nudity; racism; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit

8)      What My Mother Doesn’t Know, by Sonya Sones
Nudity; offensive language; sexually explicit

9)      Gossip Girl (series), by Cecily Von Ziegesar
Drugs; offensive language; sexually explicit

10)  To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
Offensive language; racism

creative writing essay

a friend of mine sent me an article from ABC news stating how a student wrote a sexually suggestive journal entry about his teacher for a creative writing class and was then suspended from school for it. the student had written many different journal entries with a sexual tendency but was never in trouble with his teacher and got A's on the assignments. the student stated that he asked the teacher on multiple occasions if there were topical restrictions on the journals, and on every occasion -- often in front of other students -- was told no. when the student turned in the journal with the entry about the teacher, the teacher initiated a university review of his conduct, which led to a meeting with a dean, and instructions to stay away from the teachers class for awhile, until she could cool down - for the teacher felt threatened by his writing. but when the student eventually returned to class, he was escorted out of the room by university police, he said, and asked not to return pending a university judicial hearing. after the campus hearing, the university found the student guilty of intimidation. Another charge, for sexual harassment, was dropped. the student was suspended for three semesters, banned from stepping foot on campus and required to seek out psychological counseling before he could be eligible to re enroll. the student has appealed the punishment; the university's response is pending.

so the teacher felt threatened by the writing of the student but yet told the student that anything goes. so the question is which is right? of course if someone does not feel safe, they should be able to get away from the situation and not made to endure it. of course though, the teacher had an idea of what the student wrote for he had other sexually suggestive writings that he had turned it. did she not feel threatened before when she read his writings? was the writing about her specifically aggressive? again, if she feels uncomfortable or threatened she should not have to endure it.

the student has the right to write anything he wants with no issues. especially since the teacher said that anything goes. he had asked multiple times in front of people, not just one on one. and for the school to REQUIRE the student to have psychological help before he can come back to school is not their place. you cannot make anyone do that. not unless they are a danger to themselves or others. just because someone writes something doesn't mean they are going to act on it or that they are dangerous. as you know i'm a huge first amendment rights person, and feel he has the right to write anything he wants. again, escpically since the teacher confirmed that anything goes. so for the school to kick him out and require help before he can come back; is completly uncalled for.