“Batman: The Killing Joke” is a one-shot graphic novel written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Brian Bolland. Published by DC Comics in 1988, it has remained so popular that it has been in print since then. It has also been subject recently to censorship efforts. Looking into the...
What kind of half-witted, elementary school dropout does Taco Bell have heading up their marketing department?! I’m frigging annoyed by their campaign for the new cool ranch Doritos Locos Taco. First of all, I’d like to point out that Locos Tacos is a very poor rhyme, but I digress…...
We’ve covered how to blend spiritual work into paranormal investigations in one of the earliest series for this column; and how the psychology of perception shapes our paranormal experiences; as well as a plethora of discussions on how scientific principles and methods apply to paranormal research. Through it all,...
A 17-hour adventure has come to a close and a precious boy named Jericho James has entered the world- and all of our hearts. My wonderful girlfriend’s daughter and fiancé were having a child; and when the call came Monday night that he may be on his way we...
Most of us aren’t surprised by “Fifty Shades of Grey” being the fourth most-challenged book of 2012, but would you expect a children’s book to make number one? Dav Pilkey’s “Captain Underpants” has been repeatedly banned or challenged due to concerns over offensive language and charges of being “unsuited...
We know that the mentality behind censorship and the banning of books is shortsighted and narrow-minded; but when that ignorance causes those words to completely disappear from the world, it’s just nauseating. That’s what is happening to rare nationalist works that were banned by the British during India’s quest...
Some label it as historical romance; while others argue that it doesn’t have all of the required elements, thus making it simply an historical novel- but all would agree that the 1936 work by Margaret Mitchell is one of the quintessential works of American literature. However, as one has...
Many of us have visited a casino at least once for a number of reasons- perhaps some time in the limelight with friends at the slots amid conversation and drinks or walking in the shadows feeding the crave of a gambling addiction. Gambling conjures up some rather strong images...
The United States’ third-largest school district, Chicago Public Schools, denies that it banned the book, saying that it “only removed copies from classrooms.” They can euphemize it any way they like, but it’s still censorship. Labeling the graphic novel as “inappropriate,” CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett also ordered mandatory training for...
“It’s a new age of book banning,” says ACLU lawyer, Tony Rothert. It’s well established that religion is often used as the justification behind many of the book challenges and outright bans occurring in schools and public libraries. It’s also been seen right here in this series that the...