We have reached a point in this country where violence has replaced metered civil discourse. (FEE)

By John Bianchi

Et tu Brute? Most of us, even those who are unfamiliar with Shakespeare have heard this famous phrase. Shakespeares play, Julius Caesar, has contributed numerous quotable lines to the modern lexicon so it is no wonder that this play was chosen by The Public Theater for this years lineup of Shakespeare in the Park.

However, a recent performance of the play has drawn harsh criticism for one simple reason. In a modern retelling of the play, the theater group chose to create a not-so-subtle reference to President Donald Trump as the protagonist

It is not surprising that this type of imagery would draw the ire of theater fans and corporate sponsors. Although the account of Caesars demise is well documented, swapping in the image of a sitting President into a play recounting political treachery and assassination borders closely on a treasonous display. If this play took place in Caesars day, Im not so sure that any of the members of the theater group would still be among the other free members of Rome.

While the media is mixed on its response, the New York Times is defending the play vigorously, this display brings up an important point and one which is not being carefully discussed at length in the media or elsewhere. We have reached a point in this country and around the world where violence has replaced metered civil discourse.

We are no longer societies of educated and interested citizens willing to listen to someone elses viewpoint without retaliating against them in violence and open displays of hatred.

Free Speech, Defamation, and Kathy Griffin

Now disgraced public figure, Milo Yiannopoulos was the recipient of such violence and suppression when he traveled to Californias Berkeley College last year. Students who took issue with Yiannopoulos views sought to silence him by attacking the building he was supposed to speak at along with burning objects and hurling debris.

This is only one in a string of incidents that have resembled war zones rather than places where public discourse is enshrined.

Our country was founded on the principles of free speech and the protections thereof. When does free speech become dangerous to society? Is all speech, especially speech designed to silence others, technically free?

Libel and defamation lawsuits have fallen out of popularity with the rise of tabloids and late night T.V. coupled with a continued acceptance for more inflammatory speech by the masses. It seems today you can effectively say anything about anyone, public or private, on any platform as long as you dont intend to act on anything you say or risk anyone taking your comments too seriously.

Lines do still seem to exist as Kathy Griffin found a few weeks ago when she posted a gruesome photo of the President decapitated in her hand. It is doubtful however that 100 years or even 50 years ago if these types of displays would have been met with almost no response from the Secret Service.

A political climate exists today that is verging dangerously toward force as a means of silencing opponents rather than a culture of engagement. In an effort to enshrine toleration, a pluralistic culture has decided that the only views that should be tolerated are its own at any given time.

This mentality is prevalent on both the left and the right in both the media and among voters. Americans are increasingly seeing government as the means to achieve their ends and are more than ever willing to employ the use of force to do so.

Reverse Censorship

This is a frightening turn of events and one which will most likely have grave political and social ramifications. President Gerald Ford said, We can disagree without being disagreeable.

Would anyone consider what Kathy Griffin did with her photo or what The Public Theater group decided to promote as part of their series anything but at the very least, disagreeable? We would do well to remember that there is a reverse type of censorship. By silencing others through civil unrest or through public displays of murder you are exercising their ability to promote censorship of these individuals and their ideals forever.

Aristotle once said, Republics decline into democracies and democracies degenerate into despotisms. We may be nearing his third stage of despotism.

When people produce public displays of staged murder of any American citizen, we are all at risk. Anyone associating with that person has been given a message as to how they and their views are seen. 63 million people voted for Donald Trump, do Kathy Griffin and The Public Theater company want to see them dead as well?

This is the important question we should be asking. Leaders represent the views of the people who vote for them. We have a framework in this country for the peaceful transition of power and we have enshrined such civil rights as the right to peaceful protest and removal from office by vote. The founders knew there would be people of varying political sentiment living in America. Their design was not for open acts of violence to represent how opposing political viewpoints are viewed.

American and global civil discourse is at a crossroads. We can either accept that violence will rule how we interact with others both behind the protection of our computer screens or openly in the public square or we can decide to reign in intolerance in the name of tolerance.

Once these types of acts become mainstream it is not long before societies devolve into anarchy. Liberty minded individuals know the power of civil public discourse and education. That is how we spread the ideals of freedom. We must start championing these values. We need to end the violence and hatred before a despot decides to end it for us.

John Bianchi is a marketing professional and the Chapter Leader for Americas Future Foundation in Raleigh.This article was originally published on FEE.org. Read the original article.

EspaolGuatemala's most influential newspaper, Prensa Libre, published a strong criticism of the United States' recent commentsabout fighting drugs. The editorial, published this Friday, June 16, was a strongly worded critiqueof the Trump administration'scontradictory approach to fighting the "War on Drugs." Vice President Mike Pence, it said, had mentioned at the Central American Economic and Security Conference held in Miami that hisgovernment had to do everything necessary to keep thecountry safe from drug trafficking and corruption. Pence's commentmade clear reference to problems taking place in theso-called Northern Triangle Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador a region with high levels of violence and the largest populationof immigrants arriving tothe United States. The editorial said the only point of the meeting for the Vice President seemed to beto"urge Central American leaders and authorities to maintain a straight-forward fight against drug trafficking." However, the newspaper also said that Pence's speech"did not makethe slightest mention of the enormous problem that this activity entails, due to the excessive consumption bythe US market." Unlike Pence, the editorial said, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson hasacknowledged that the problem is not only focused in Central America, but also at home, with the consumers of the drug. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1459522593195-0'); }); According to Prensa Libre,the Trump administration's "inconsistency is clear when it increases pressure onthese governments, but with a paradoxical reduction of economic assistance." Pence said his country's contributions to the North Triangle would be cut from US $650 million to US $460 million. He tried to argue that what the US government saves with that cut will be then invested in border security, but theGuatemalan newspaper claimed that's unrealistic. Read More: Reporters inVenezuelas Protests Face Brutal Repression from Dictatorship Read More: PC Campus Culture Run Amok: The World Needs More Bret Weinsteins "We will make sure that our borders are closed to those who seek to harm us and are insurmountable for the drugs that are ravaging our families and communities," Pence said. Washington is committed to a reduction in economic assistance, the publication claimed, and greater pressure to deal with insecurity and corruption. Source: Prensa Libre.

Link:

Julius Caesar, Kathy Griffin and Reverse Censorship: How US Political Discourse Has Fallen Into Violence and Hatred - PanAm Post

The Egyptian authorities have shifted their onslaught against media freedom to the digital sphere, blocking access to more than 40 news sites without justification in recent weeks, in an attempt to eliminate the countrys last remaining spaces for criticism and free expression, said Amnesty International.

At least 63 websites have been blocked in total since 24 May according to the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression, including 48 news sites. Mada Masr, an independent news site which regularly published news and analysis deeply critical of the authorities was among the first to be blocked. Most recently on 11 June the Egyptian news sites Albedaiah, run by independent journalist Khaled al Balshy, Elbadil and Bawabit Yanair were blocked. Access to the global online publishing platform Medium was also cut off on 10 June.

The latest clampdown on digital media is further evidence of Egypts age-old police state tactics in motion. Even in the darkest days of the repressive Mubarak era the authorities didnt cut off access to all independent news sites, said Najia Bounaim, Amnesty Internationals North Africa Campaigns director.

With this move the Egyptian authorities seem to be targeting the few remaining spaces for free expression in the country. It shows just how determined the authorities are to prevent Egyptians from accessing independent reporting, analysis and opinion about Egypt. The authorities must immediately stop arbitrarily blocking news websites. On 24 May, state media announced that Egyptian authorities had blocked a group of websites including the prominent independent news platforms Mada Masr, Daily News Egypt, Elborsa and Masr Al Arabia. The authorities failed to provide any evidence of illegal activity or to clarify the legal basis for the decision. Instead officials made vague statements to the media saying this was in connection with publishing false information and supporting terrorism. On 25 May, Egyptian newspapers published reports citing a sovereign agency

(a term usually used to refer to Egyptian intelligence agencies) justifying the move on the grounds of combating terrorism and accusing Qatar of supporting some of the blocked websites, again without providing evidence.

Amnesty International has reviewed the list of blocked websites. The majority are news sites but the list also includes sites where VPN and TOR, which can be used to access blocked sites, can be downloaded. Amnesty International was able to identify only one website connected to groups that use or advocate violence.

Many of the sites that have been blocked had served as a refuge for Egypts remaining critical voices who no longer are allowed to appear on TV or in the print media, which have been firmly in the grip of the state since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi came to power.

The independent news and analysis website Mada Masr is known for unflinchingly exposing human rights violations committed by the Egyptian authorities in recent years, including arbitrary detention, unfair trials, the crackdown on human rights NGOs, extrajudicial executions and the use of the death penalty.

The sites editor-in-chief, Lina Attallah, told Amnesty International that she believes the site was blocked because it publishes well-researched investigations based on verified information. We publish what authorities dont want people to read, she said.

The Egyptian government appears to be exploiting recent violent attacks by armed groups in the country to crack down on the remaining free space and silence critical voices. Once again the authorities are using national security grounds to justify outright repression, said Najia Bounaim.

Instead of attacking critical and independent voices Egypt should respect the obligations enshrined in its own constitution and in international law not to impose arbitrary restrictions on freedom of expression and to protect the right of everyone to seek, receive and share information.

The governments decision to block these websites also flouts Egypts constitution, which prohibits censorship of the media, except at times of war and military mobilization, and protects freedom of expression and press freedom both in print and digital formats. The constitution also upholds the right of all citizens to use telecommunication tools and methods.

The legal grounds and authority the government has used to block these sites is ambiguous and it remains unclear whether emergency law provisions were applied. There are, however, a number of Egyptian laws that can be used to censor the media and the internet, on the grounds of national security.

After the bombing of two churches in Tanta and Alexandria in April 2017, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi declared a three-month state of emergency. An hour later, the authorities confiscated that days edition of Albawaba newspaper, which demanded that the Minister of Interior be held accountable for failing to prevent the bombing.

Under emergency laws, the authorities have broad powers to impose surveillance and censorship on media. On 10 April, the head of the Egyptian parliament, Dr Ali Abdelal announced that these laws will extend to social media platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. He added that these platforms were being used as means of communication between terrorists and warned that online offenders would face prosecution.

The vaguely worded articles of Egypts counterterrorism law also allow punishments of up to 15 years in prison for establishing a website for the purpose of promoting terrorist ideas and grant the authorities the power to block websites suspected of promoting terrorism.

Two of the blocked websites, Daily News Egypt and Elborsa, belong to the Business News Company, which is licensed by the government. In November 2016, the government froze the companys assets under the pretext that it belonged to the Muslim Brotherhood, without providing evidence to support this claim. The papers 230 staff have not received their salaries since.

Representatives of many of the websites affected have filed complaints with the Press Syndicate, the National Council for Media, the Ministry Communications and the Public Prosecutor, but so far received no response. Mada Masr has filed an appeal against the decision to block its website before an administrative court, but it has not yet heard the appeal.

Read more:

Dozens of news sites blocked as Egypt ramps up digital censorship - Amnesty International USA

Related Content

NEW DELHI (CNNMoney) - India is becoming increasingly trigger-happy when it comes to preventing people accessing the internet.

The nation has shut down the internet in various regions 20 times in the first five months of this year, according to a report from Human Rights Watch. Four of those blackouts have taken place this month, all in states where violent protests took place.

That represents a dramatic uptick from last year, when 31 shutdowns were recorded in total, and an even greater increase since 2012 -- which saw only three shutdowns.

The Indian government did not respond to a request for comment on the report, but has argued in the past that restricting access is sometimes necessary to prevent social media rumors from fueling violence.

The disputed and conflict-ridden region of Kashmir, for example, has seen 33 shutdowns in five years.

"The lack of transparency and failure to explain these shutdowns only furthers the perception that they are meant to suppress nonviolent reporting and criticism of the government," said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director for Human Rights Watch.

While the Indian government doesn't have its own internet-blocking apparatus like China's "Great Firewall," it can order service providers to go offline. That power stems from a law written in 1973, which allows the government to impose various restrictions on the public to prevent everything from riots to "obstruction, annoyance or injury."

India, which is often referred to as the world's largest democracy, has been called out for online censorship before.

A 2016 survey of internet freedom in 65 countries by U.S.-based think tank Freedom House gave India a score of 41. China, with a score of 88, came last. Estonia performed best with a score of 6.

In another report by the Brookings Institution last year, India tied for first place with Iraq for the highest number of internet shutdowns among 19 countries (including Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Syria and North Korea).

Facebook also ranks the Indian government among the top countries asking it to censor content. The social media giant said in its latest Government Requests Report that India ordered 719 pieces of content to be restricted, lower only than Brazil, Turkey and Germany.

India topped Facebook's list for two straight years up to June 2015.

View post:

Internet censorship in India is on the rise - KLAS-TV

We are the producers of Risk , a documentary film about Julian Assange and WikiLeaks.

We unequivocally defend WikiLeaks journalistic right to publish true and newsworthy information.

The Trump administrations threats against WikiLeaks and attacks on press freedom are chilling. As Margaret Sullivan recently argued in the Washington Post, prosecuting WikiLeaks under the Espionage Act would set a dangerous precedent for all journalists.

Daily Emails and Alerts- Get the best of Newsweek delivered to your inbox

We were disturbed, however, to learn that Julian Assange and WikiLeaks sent cease and desist letters to our distributors demanding they stop the release of Risk: We therefore demand that you immediately cease the use and distribution of all images of the Named Participants and that you desist from this or any other infringement of the rights of the Named Participants in the future.

In WikiLeaks efforts to prevent the distribution of Risk , they are using the very tactics often used against them legal threats, false security claims, underhanded personal attacks, misdirection and with the same intentions: to suppress information and silence speech.

Filmmaker Laura Poitras speaks as former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor turned whistleblower Edward Snowden is seen on a video conference screen during an award ceremony for the Carl von Ossietzky journalism prize on December 14, 2014 in Berlin, Germany. Adam Berry/Getty

Since 2016, Assange and his lawyers have repeatedly demanded that we remove scenes from the film in which Assange speaks about the two women who made sexual assault allegations against him in 2010 and Swedens investigation which has since been discontinued.

In response to our refusal to remove these scenes, Assange and his lawyers are now claiming that Risk threatens the safety of the staff who consented to being filmed, and furthermore, that we are being sexist by including Assanges own comments about women in the film.

These arguments are not only false, they are a deliberate effort at misdirection.

Risk was filmed over the course of many years, beginning in 2011. Assange and WikiLeaks freely consented to participating in the film, knowing we were making an independent documentary. Neither WikiLeaks nor Assange have any editorial control of Risk. There were individuals who requested from the beginning not to appear in the film, and those requests were respected.

Wikileaks and their lawyers were shown the film before each public screening, most recently inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London on April 1, 2017. Each time, we invited their responses.

WikiLeaks comments have consistently been about image management, including: demands to remove scenes from the film where Assange discusses sexual assault allegations against him; requests to remove images of alcohol bottles in the embassy because Ecuador is a Catholic country and it looks bad; requests to include mentions of WikiLeaks in the 2016 U.S. presidential debates; and, requests to add more scenes with attorney Amal Clooney because she makes WikiLeaks look good.

It is only after we declined to make the changes they tried to impose that WikiLeaks raised objections to Risk . Their attempts to censor the content of the film are an effort to prevent reporting on Assanges own words. They also constitute a saddening break with WikiLeaks own ideals.

Last month, WikiLeaks lawyers published an op-ed saying they object to our editing in the United States. However, Assange has known since 2015 that we were editing in the U.S. In 2016, he signed an agreement to license WikiLeaks own footage to us and raised no objection to mailing a hard drive with footage directly to our editing room in New York City.

WikiLeaks has also repeatedly publicized their participation in Risk , most recently re-tweeting a link to the films trailer on April 10, 2017 (a tweet that has since been deleted), without raising any concerns.

In their cease and desist letter, lawyers for WikiLeaks and Assange state: The unauthorized release of the Film has caused our clients to suffer ongoing irreparable harm, and exponentially increasing damages every time a new viewer sees the Film.

All the participants in Risk agreed for years to be in the film. We have no obligation to seek WikiLeaks or Assanges authorization to release the film. In fact, our rights under the First Amendment are protected precisely because we are engaging in independent journalism. Assange himself has criticized the media for seeking permission from public figures before releasing stories.

Like WikiLeaks, our journalism has been the target of U.S. government investigation, secret grand jury, and threats by elected officials. We fully understand and empathize with the dangers WikiLeaks is facing, and we stand in solidarity with all journalists and publishers around the world currently under attack.

Read the original post:

Wikileaks Documentary Makers Accuse Assange of Censorship - Newsweek

The nation has shut down the internet in various regions 20 times in the first five months of this year, according to a report from Human Rights Watch. Four of those blackouts have taken place this month, all in states where violent protests took place.

That represents a dramatic uptick from last year, when 31 shutdowns were recorded in total, and an even greater increase since 2012 -- which saw only three shutdowns.

The Indian government did not respond to a request for comment on the report, but has argued in the past that restricting access is sometimes necessary to prevent social media rumors from fueling violence.

Related: Can Theresa May use tech to stop terror attacks?

The disputed and conflict-ridden region of Kashmir, for example, has seen 33 shutdowns in five years.

"The lack of transparency and failure to explain these shutdowns only furthers the perception that they are meant to suppress nonviolent reporting and criticism of the government," said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director for Human Rights Watch.

While the Indian government doesn't have its own internet-blocking apparatus like China's "Great Firewall," it can order service providers to go offline. That power stems from a law written in 1973, which allows the government to impose various restrictions on the public to prevent everything from riots to "obstruction, annoyance or injury."

Related: A huge wave of new users is killing 4G speeds in India

India, which is often referred to as the world's largest democracy, has been called out for online censorship before.

A 2016 survey of internet freedom in 65 countries by U.S.-based think tank Freedom House gave India a score of 41. China, with a score of 88, came last. Estonia performed best with a score of 6.

In another report by the Brookings Institution last year, India tied for first place with Iraq for the highest number of internet shutdowns among 19 countries (including Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Syria and North Korea).

Facebook also ranks the Indian government among the top countries asking it to censor content. The social media giant said in its latest Government Requests Report that India ordered 719 pieces of content to be restricted, lower only than Brazil, Turkey and Germany.

India topped Facebook's list for two straight years up to June 2015.

CNNMoney (New Delhi) First published June 16, 2017: 10:13 AM ET

Link:

Internet censorship in India is on the rise - CNNMoney

A New Jersey high school yearbook adviser has been suspended amid an investigation into censorship allegations overphotos and a quotation that were altered to remove references to President Trump, according to news reports.

Three students at Wall High School in central New Jersey noticed the changes in their yearbooks late last week, and their parents have since been calling for action.

Wall Township public schoolsSuperintendent Cheryl Dyer said last weekthat the district learned aboutan allegation of censorship and the possible violation of First Amendment rights and was investigating the matter. She told USA Todaylate Monday that the teacher, whom she would not name,was suspended pending further disciplinary action. NJ.com reported that the teacher has been suspendedindefinitely with pay while the district investigates the allegations.

Dyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the suspension. Its still unclear what role the teacher may have played in the yearbook alterations.

[Parents outraged after pro-Trump messages were edited out of this high schools yearbooks]

On picture day in October, one student,juniorWyatt Dobrovich-Fago, had worn a fleece vest with a Trump campaign logo, but it appeared to be cropped out in the yearbook. His sister, Montana, who was freshman-class president, was missing a Trump quote that was meant to appear beneath her photo. I like thinking big. If you are going to be thinking anything, you might as well think big, itread,according to CNN.

But perhaps the most blatant edit was to17-year-oldGrant BerardosTRUMP Make America Great Again! T-shirt, which was apparently altered in his yearbook photo to removethe Republican presidential nominees campaign slogan. In the yearbook, the high school junior appeared to be wearing a plain and simple, dark-colored T-shirt.

Grants father,Joseph Berardo, said in a Facebook post Monday night that he had met with the school administration earlier in the day and was informed that the teacher had been suspended.

There was a lapse in judgement and mistakes were made. I suspect there will be meaningful consequences, Berardo wrote.

I refuse to be censored although my son was, he added. Issues like these are too important to look the other way. HOWEVER, if we agree to talk instead of shout, I believe we can always find common ground.

Berardo earlier told The Washington Post that school pictures were sent home to the studentsfamilies after the electionand that there did not seem to be any issue with Grants portrait.

In fact, he said, Grants picturewasused as hisschool identificationphoto.

He was just really surprised; it was the first election he ever took an interest in, he said of his son. His question was, Is it okay? Did someone do something here that they shouldnt have done? Thats why Im pursuing it.He said he wants his son to understand that althoughthese are your teachers and administrators, there are still things youre permitted to do throughthe Constitution.

Dyer, the superintendent, previouslysaid in a statement, Two parents have notified the school district of ways in which the attire of their children was altered in yearbook photos. Further, there are claims that comments or quotes offered for inclusion in the yearbook were not published. References to and support of President Trump were involved in each of these incidents.

There is nothing in Wall Township High Schools student dress code that would prevent a student from expressing his or her political views, or support for a political figure, via appropriate clothing and attire, she said. Indeed, the administration applauds students for becoming involved in politics, making their voices known, and taking an active part in our democracy.

The district has not identified the suspended adviser, but Berardo said it was Susan Parsons, who has worked for the district for 15 years, according to her course website. Thecourse sitestates that Parsons oversees Yearbook 1, 2 and 3, as well as other technology courses such as digital media, Web page design, computer repair and digital animation and gaming.

Parsons could not immediately be reached Tuesday for comment and an email sent to her schoolemail address came back as undeliverable. But she told the New York Post, We have never made any action against any political party.

Shewould not say who made the edits, according to the New York Post.

Read more:

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Nonprofit sues Education Dept. for release of information on campus sex-assault investigations

See the original post:

Adviser suspended after pro-Trump messages were edited out of high school yearbooks - Washington Post

Variety

Facebook Aims to Start Debate on Censorship, Fake News Variety Facebook is getting ready to explain itself. The social media juggernaut kick-started an effort to more openly debate questions of free speech and censorship, false and misleading news and the impact social media has on democracy Thursday, announcing a ... Facebook requests input on hard questions about censorship and ...TechCrunch Facebook Wants Users' Help With 'Hard Questions' On Content, Censorship And SafetyForbes Facebook wants your inputs regarding censorship, false news, and ...The Tech Portal Facebook Newsroom -Facebook Newsroom all 14 news articles »

See original here:

Facebook Aims to Start Debate on Censorship, Fake News - Variety

Grant Berardo, a Wall High School junior, saw his image digitally altered with a plain black T-shirt in his yearbook. Mike Davis

Wall Township High School junior Grant Berardo's T-shirt was digitally altered in the school's yearbook. He wore a Donald Trump campaign shirt for his portrait.(Photo: Courtesy of Joseph Berardo, Jr.)

WALL High school yearbooks that featured digitally-altered photographs of students supporting President Donald Trump will be reissued, according to the district superintendent.

In a letter to parents issued Thursday evening, Superintendent Cheryl Dyer outlined a series of "mistakes," including the intentional alteration of a student's T-shirt to remove a Trump campaign logo.

Other mistakes were unintentional, likely due to"carelessness or lack of attention to detail or lack of sufficient proofreading," she said.

ICYMI: Wall High teacher suspended over alleged Trump yearbook censorship

MORE INFO: Wall teen's Trump shirt censored in yearbook

"Ido not believe that it is possible to create a yearbook of 248 pages, thousands of pictures, names, and lines of text and have it be error free," Dyer said. "That being said, I cannot allow the intentional change that was not based on dress code to be ignored. I am the Chief School Administrator in this district and I take responsibility for the actions of those who are employed here.

"Therefore, I have determined that a reissuance of the yearbook is necessary," she continued.

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The new yearbooks will be available in about two weeks, Dyer said. The school's commencement ceremony for seniors is scheduled for Friday.

Wall High School has grabbed national attention over the last week after three students reported that their images or words supporting Trump had been altered in the yearbook.

Grant Berardo, a junior at the school, took his school pictures wearing a navy blue "Make America Great Again" shirt from the campaign. In the yearbook, his photo had been digitally altered so it resembled a nondescript black T-shirt, which you can see in the video at the top of the story.

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It was Photoshopped," Grant said in an interview on Friday. "I sent it to my mom and dad, just like You wont believe this. I was just overall disappointed.

"I like Trump, but its history too. Wearing that shirt memorializes the time," he said.

In her letter, Dyer said this alteration was "intentional."

Wall High School(Photo: File photo)

But it's not yet clear whether aquote attributed to Trump was purposely left out of a section dedicated to Montana Dobrovich-Fago's role as freshman class president, Dyer said.

Traditionally, class presidents pick a quote to accompany their picture."I like thinking big. If you are going to be thinking anything, you might as well think big," Trump's quote read.

The quote was submitted before a deadline but did not appear in the yearbook.

ELSEWHERE: Bleeding liberal blue in red Jackson

Montana's older brother, Wyatt Dobrovich-Fago, wore a sweater vest with a Trump logo for his school pictures. The logo was cropped out of the photograph in the yearbook, but Dyer said it was done in "the same manner as all of the underclass photos."

It did not appear to be intentional, she said.

According to Dyer, other errors in the yearbook included:

Digital media teacher Susan Parsons, also the yearbook adviser, was suspended with pay due to the incident. The school board is expected to discuss further discipline at its June 20 meeting.

She has not returned multiple calls seeking comment.

MORE: Trump yearbook censor is registered Democrat

Mike Davis: 732-643-4223; mdavis@gannettnj.com

Read or Share this story: http://on.app.com/2t8dc9I

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Trump censorship: Wall HS to get new yearbooks - Asbury Park Press - Asbury Park Press

There a lot of shows that call themselves groundbreaking, but the 13 episodes of Blood Drivereally will test the barriers of speed, tone, and language.

While many shows that would tout themselves as groundbreaking might take that role seriously, Blood Drive takes itself ridiculously. This is part of what makes it so different. Sure, the series from Syfy and Universal Cable Productions takes on such weighty subjects as fracking, corporate greed and police brutality, but it never gets heavy enough to slow the pace, gasps or laughs.

Den of Geek spoke with the driving forces behind Blood Drive before the checkered flag drops. Lead actors Christina Ochoa, Colin Cunningham, and Alan Ritchson parked themselves long enough to discuss characters, themes, and production notes. But they all did it with the enthusiastic giggles of artists given a chance to go full throttle.

They were given the keys to this monstrous machine by the shows creator and writer James Roland, who was getting coffee on shows like Mad Men and Weeds before this, and showrunner John Hlavin, best known for writing the screenplay for Underworld Awakening and episodes of The Shield. Between gales of laughter, heres what they told us.

Den of Geek: Ill be asking this to everyone: How many times did you have to take the driving test before you passed?

James Roland: It was actually who we had to kill. John had me kill somebody.

Did Syfy give you any shit about language? The first episode is called The Fucking Cop and theres one episode called The Fucking Dead. Was there a problem with that? Because when we turn on cable and hit the info button, we see these things.

James: They were cool about it

John Hlavin: That one in particular, because the title we knew we would be on DVRs, we were somewhat concerned but, honestly, Syfy from a content standpoint, really gave us quite a bit of rope. Wouldnt you say, James?

James: Yeah, we talked about it at first, saying uh oh, what are you going to do? It was like real far out. But once they started seeing the cuts and they started getting into it, I remember at one point S&P said something like give us a couple weeks, we need to wrap our heads around this. I think of all the battles they had to fight, that became the one they didnt even have to worry about. So they were pretty great about it. I think were going to be the first, on their network at least, show that doesnt bleep fuck. Thats what I heard, I dont have that confirmed. So, yeah, it was kind of a free-for-all with the language. It was great.

I can bleep out the unconfirmed bit later. So there werent intense production note sessions like the ones between Slink and Heart Enterprises?

James: Theres a lot of fun stuff with that. Almost everything Slink says, I think youre referring specifically to episode three?

Yes.

James: Almost everything thats on those note calls is our twisted variation on actual notes calls. All the stuff with the executives throughout the show, its all based in truth. But also totally focused through our crazy lens.

I love the way you play with censorship. You use visual puns. My favorite is the cops erections. How much leeway are you really giving him?

John: First off, can we just say, please put that in your article, that you have stated that that is your favorite part. The thing is, it made the show feel more salacious than it was. There were times we were covering up things that actually, probably, could have been okay, and there were times we did it to get around things. There were times we were gonna do things that we ended up not doing, but we were having a lot of fun with pulling that ride on that bar, playing with censors. We were very lucky, in this regard, at Syfy and UCP. They were really supportive of the vision of what the show was and how it evolved as we moved forward into a kind of a commentary on what its like to make a television show. They were really gracious about it.

Also, to James point, we were very aware of the fact when they were giving us notes that there was an excellent chance those notes were going to wind up in some form or another coming out of Slinks mouth in a critical, critical way.

James: Later on Slink starts really interacting more with the executives at Heart. We were originally spoofing, giving these Easter Egg references to our executives and we had trouble clearing those names. Then we just said, what are we hiding the salami for? Lets just call them the names of our executives. Then it be became, not to give away too many spoilers, but a lot of those executives dont make it. We were afraid how they would take it. Like, oh my god, are we crossing a line, killing off our executives? And they loved it and then it became a request. They started asking can so and so get in the show? Can you kill this person? They loved it.

Okay, I want to work at Heart Enterprises. What should I put on my resume?

James: The fact that you want to work there alone is almost enough to get you in.

John: Yeah, you probably better talk to your bosses about that.

James: Well, we talked a lot about that. We actually had an ethos for Heart Enterprises, to put a method behind the madness. Cos its so easy to just have a Machiavellian villain, you see this in comic book movies, you think, why are they going about things this way, when it would be more convenient for the sake of plot. We really talked about how, because they are so evil, they dont care if they have a faulty product. If their iPhones blow up and kill ninety people, they say great. Like the same way they did with the Joker from The Dark Knight, where he works for Chaos and goes about things that might actually destroy him just because he has that methodology. Thats what were talking about with Heart. Its about the amount of chaos. Its the collateral damage that makes the company what it is.

At one point we talked about an intern seeing that first day at Heart Enterprises and what it takes to get in. But they literally, youll find this out a little later in the show, they actually do recruit psychos. They talk about their hiring practices. Some of that will be in the show in later episodes.

Will they be working on their dental plan?

James: Exactly. Theyll have to have a good one to keep up.

You mention that Slink is a Machiavellian character, or is he the ultimate company man?

James: Youll have to find out. In the first couple episode one of the things that was fun was putting such a powerful character. Hes a god to the racers. But whos the god to the god? Whos the step above that? We had a lot of fun with that. Whenever you see Slink at Heart Enterprises you get to see people that actually have more power than him, and what thats like. It actually makes him more of a dimensional character, too, than just the standard villain.

John: A lot of what we realized after we cast Colin and started to watch him work that there was a lot more to play in that character. A lot of credit goes to Colin as well for really finding who he was and letting us play with it once we realized that his voice was so specific. He did a truly amazing job bringing that guy to life. Theres a lot of ways he could have gone with that character and he went a way we didnt see coming even though James had written very interesting ideas, he found layers that made him more interesting than we had even thought of. So, many kudos to Colin for that.

Have you ever grossed yourself out with an effect you thought up yourself?

[Evil laughter] James: I wanted really badly, but we couldnt afford it, to make a perfect human rubber filled with strawberry jam to feed into the engine so we could see the whole thing from start to finish. But even what we ended up with was pretty horrible, a man getting his head chewed up. What the show did to Christopher in that chamber, I think in episode 4.

John: Episode 4 was our point of no return.

James: That wasnt an effect but, James Roday directed that episode, some of that was hard to watch.

Yeah, some of the stuff they were throwing up against the walls...

John: Kudos, by the way, to both those actors. They just showed up and fucking grabbed these parts and got inside of them, James was on set the entire time in Cape Town. We were always blown away here in LA, wed get the dailies and there just wasnt a bad performance. Everybody really embraced their roles and James Roday did a great job in bringing them out and capturing them. We were really, from the very first set of dailies, we heard from UCP that day, and Syfy, and they said Holy shit. I dont think they expected it to be as good as we thought could be. And then it was actually better than we all expected.

I love how you go from monster-of-the-week episodes, to changing styles from one style of grindhouse to the next. How did you come up with those dynamics?

James: That was almost an accident. When I pitched the premise to my manager, before it was even written, I phrased it as a grindhouse TV show, Road Trip Through a Grindhouse World, and he lit up and said write that, write that. I had the premise before that but never thought of it in that way. Then it naturally leaned into, if youre going to have a road trip, you might as well have a story of the week. It seemed very natural.

Grindhouse isnt a cinematic movement or genre. It was specifically a place that played exploitation films. Its endless the amount of styles and artistry that was going into that, good or bad. It was a really fertile ground to pick from. So how do we control that? Each week they just drive into a different movie. That seemed to click with everybody. It helped them wrap their heads around the world that we created.

The next challenge was how to fuck people up, especially on a lower budget. Kudos to the crew down there, and our directors, David Straiton really helped form the whole world. David directed four of the 13 episodes. But he was also down there every day as an executive producer and he really worked to form not only the look of the show, but how we went about shooting it, and how we went about creating a different look and a different vibe for each episode.

We were also in a place, I think a lot of shows tell their crews and tell their guest directors, we want your thumb print to be on this show, but they dont really mean it. For us, it was totally the case. I saw a lot of wide-eyed directors down there filled with excitement and fear. They were given the reins artistically. In episode 5 there was a whole set that was built that defies gravity. It switches gravitational pull into different directions. None of that was scripted. The director in that episode worked with the production designer to create this whole concept. He took a scene that was a pretty straightforward scene and turned it into this little miracle, an awesome moment. I dont think theres a lot of shows that give their directors or their department heads creative freedom like that. It just let people off the hook. Our costume designer, Danielle Knox, and our production designer, Andrew Orlando, come from this grindhousy kind of world. They love those kinds of movies so they just pulled it off fast. They really leaned into the challenge of making a 45-minute movie of a different genre every week and god knows how they managed to pull it off.

James: Yes, we talked about Videodrome in the writers room. We talked a lot about Cronenberg. We really described the world as if Roger Corman and David Cronenberg helped god create the world. Because Roger Corman is a visionary in a lot of ways. He gets knocked down a lot because of the quality of his pictures, but a lot of them are better than people give him credit for. I just saw The Man With the X-Ray Eyes at a little festival and its the damnedest film. Even though some of its pretty dated and the low budget.

But then you take Cronenberg who lived in this world of schlocky, weird shit, man, but theres an intelligence to it. No matter how silly it got theres always a gravity that would kind of surprise you, or an imagery that would unsettle you and was very striking. And that was, especially in the side of the world that Christopher [Thomas Dominique] and Aki [Marama Corlett] and Heart Enterprises have, we talked about Cronenberg quite a bit.

I spoke with Corman for the newest Death Race reboot, and he saw it as a social commentary, so Im wondering: The Scar is caused by fracking, is this ultimately ecologically conscious grindhouse?

John: Truthfully, not really as much as you think. I mean were always in the room, certainly thinking about the world at large, but we werent necessarily trying to make an allegory. The number one rule for us was entertain, and if there was a chance to have a little fun with satire, we would lean into that direction. Certainly in the world that James created where gas is extraordinarily expensive, you see that water is being fought over. We never thinking of it as a future dystopia, we were always framed it as a stark vision of 1999.

The fracking thing, at the time of the writing, it was kind of on the decline. It may increase again under the new administration. But we heard all the horror stories of what could happen with fracking. It made a great place to indicate that to be so dependent on these fossil fuels is inherently evil because eventually theyll be gone and then what will happen?

James: The scar also is something that evolved for us.

John: So we put those together. The stuff coming out of the Scar went beyond oil. For the basis of that need to destroy something so you can live for a time in greater comfort, the stuff coming out of the scar was perfect. Its just pure evil. Its selfishness and greed and all those things. Theres nothing altruistic about it. It takes you to your worst place.

James: The concept of fracking, which just personifies the way we treat the world, were hurdling through space on this thing we call our home and were cracking it and breaking it and sucking it dry. I understand why we need oil for stuff like that. Im not crazy, but from the other perspective, its like, what the fuck are we doing? So when we struck upon that idea, even calling it the Scar was intentional. We have to face the fact that weve permanently hurt ourselves. All of that stuff was intentional, but Johns right. Ultimately, theres not much we can do about this, so lets have fun with it.

I also saw commentary in small details, like how the cops make their quotas in teeth. Did that come from living in LA?

James: Yeah, all that stuff, like the cameras being judge, jury and executioner, was from how everyone thought mounted cameras have been shown statistically to make everything better. All the interactions between policemen and civilians go smoother because everyones being watched and everyones on their best behavior. But that could so easily shift, because if one side controls where that data goes, then who is actually watching and who is supervising? We tried to pull all of those things. Things that are actually going on in our world and try and twist it and make it as terrible as possible.

Christina Orchoas great uncle is a Nobel prize-winning biochemist. Were you tempted to go to him for the science behind running a car on human blood?

James: We dont need to go to him. We can go to her, man. Shes one of the smartest people Ive ever met. She had some fun with that. She runs in very elite scientific circles. At least elite by my standards. At some point she actually did have somebody working on whether it was possible, and the answer is no. We always knew that. There is going to be a certain amount of people who watch the show who go its impossible for cars to run on human blood. But its impossible for a person to turn into a wolf and run around during the full moon too. Monsters have always been metaphors and these cars, theyre just the monsters of the show, in many ways. But she totally went down that road too and had a lot of fun with it.

Which character best represents you on the show?

James: John you go first.

John: Oh my god. I guess, probably as the showrunner, when you see Slink arguing with executives or putting up with whatever he puts up with, when we were in the room, those things we discussed. But honestly, all these things came out of Rolands insane head. You wouldnt know that from meeting James, hes the nicest guy in the world, but theres some dark shit up there.

James: My wife always likes to say that I split myself in half and one half was Arthur and the other half was Slink, which is weird. I think Arthur kinds of clings to his morality and his demanding of rules and that chaos shouldnt be going on. Even in the face of impossible odds. Our show is a David and Goliath story and theres no fucking way Goliath would have lost. Lets face it. Its a myth for a reason. I basically took that part of my personality and put it into a body I will never have and that would be Arthur. And all of the writers and key creators of the show are connected with Slink in that kind of way because everybody is scared of this thing that they create. That this thing they put all this work into is going to go out there and everyones going to tear it apart and shit on it or not like it. Try to make it their own. Every artists feels that way when theyre creating something.

So Slink was a way to live out those dark desires. We see that in the first trailer, you try to give me notes and Im going to throw a knife in your chest. It sounds creepy to say, but its wish fulfillment. Im friends with all our executives, we have a great working relationship. Its not to say that that obviously is all hyperbole and ridiculousness. But when you like somebody and they hesitate and go, ah, but lets talk about things I dont like, that always sucks. Theres no way that doesnt suck. It makes sense that writers and creators really connect with Slink.

Is there really much difference between making a show like this and working on Shield or Madmen?

John: Well theres a huge budgetary difference. For my part, Im not sure now, the Blood Drive experience was very different. Because every time you have an idea, we have great writers on this show and we would sit in a room together and, normally, when youre writing a show, someone will say oh this is a crazy idea, we could never use this. That was always the idea on Blood Drive we would end up using. There was no boundary to what we could do, as long as we hung on to the narrative of the story, we had a lot of freedom.

The downside to that is, if the canvass is too big, you can end up being a little sloppy. I think we guarded against that by making sure we never did quote unquote gags or went to an easy gag. We always tried to keep it connected to our world. I would say and I dont think this is hyperbole there is nothing like Blood Drive on the air, at least not to my knowledge. And I cant even remember a time when it was. Its sort of a one-hour action-drama with a lot of comedy but its also inside of a genre that for some reason, I dont think even Netflix has a comparison, there nothing that does grindhouse. And James will tell you that when we were premiering this thing at the Egyptian he made the point that was really smart. When youre making a show for this little money its not grindhouse, it forces to you have to make grindhouse decisions. We didnt have the money to shoot certain things so we had to figure it out the way they had to figure it out in the 70s and the 80s, when they didnt have the money.

If you freeze screen the first episode youll see that theres a guy driving early on. It was fairly obviously a male driver with a wig and a goatee, not Christina. And we were going back and forth on what to do and James emailed us and said, hey if this is grindhouse we leave it. You just have to defend your buddy. Like other shows Ive worked on, in terms of another show Im running now, youd would always fix it. You would worry that these little details would ruin the experience but on Blood Drive those little details actually enhance the experience.

James: Well, on those other shows, I was grabbing coffee. But all of that rings true. That was the challenge and the hurdle we faced every week in the writers room was how crazy can we get? Great. We always said lets use the crazy a safety net never as a crutch, because if we fail on a scene its gonna be weird enough with tension to be enjoyable, but you never want to depend on that. you want to try and build up a character-driven scene in the middle of an action sequence just like any other show.

Stunt driving, is it any easier now than it was in the seventies because of the effects they didnt have then?

John: Roland, go ahead.

James: One of the things that saved us was being able to do all the car stuff on a sound stage, but also we knew, even on Madmen. I loved Madmen, and there werent many shows that looked as good as Madmen, and yet when they did driving, and it was green-screen driving you could very much tell that it was green-screen driving. It was the best green screen driving on TV, but it was still green screen driving. We went the other way. We actually used rear projection for the driving and used a videogame engine to generate the exteriors. We could alter the angles of the sun. We could alter everything in that environment around those cars at a reasonable price because we also blew it out and did these cool silver things. So it didnt have to be 100 percent photorealistic David Straiton and our EVP Huroan LEay came up with this amazing way to kind of shoot through glass and these weird filters to give this really cool effect to the inside of the car. That saved our ass.

In the seventies, theyd be shooting this thing for real. With a guy in the back seat with a mounted camera or it you would have to make a process trailer, which takes forever. So, yeah, I think that definitely saved our ass and modern technology saved our ass. We always said that it would. We look at 16 millimeter film through this nostalgic lens and it certainly looks beautiful, but if Corman had a digital camera they would have grabbed it in an instant. As long as the aesthetic was okay, and they didnt care about aesthetic to a certain degree but ultimately it was how do we get this done. We couldnt have made this show if we didnt have modern technology.

I have a sense that the 10 million is a bait and switch. Im afraid to ask, but is the Blood Drive a larger audition that theyre on?

John: Its gonna take you to a place where, we felt when we got to the end of this thing, there were some surprises for us. James came in with a five-year plan for the show and at the end of the season we always get to a more interesting place if it sticks to James original vision. After this whole thing has made its run, lets get on the phone again and talk about it.

Do you remember your first cars?

John: Mine was a 1988 honda Civic. 1980.

James: Better than mine, I dont know year but I had a 3 cylindar Geo Metro, I didnt even know it was possible. It was basically a golf cart.

John: James was in such a daze when he got back from Cape Town, cos he had just gotten a new car that had been in a car in a garage for six months that, the first time you drove it, didnt you crash it?

James: Yeah, I pulled out to the end of the driveway. Looked left, looked right and pulled right in front of somebody, It was a pretty fitting welcome home to America after leaving to film car insanity.

I take it that neither of you were big drag racers.

John: Theres not much drag racing in Clevland, Ohio.

James: I think the reason why we focused on Classic American Cars as much as possible is the artistry, I love them. The Camero is a gorgeous piece of art. Its incredible. Weve gotten away from that, to a certain degree. But also somebody asked me, one of the writers, you must be really into cars and stuff. I said, well, I wrote a show where cars literally destroy the world and then turn into monsters. Car culture is a two headed beast. I love vehicles as much as any other red-blooded American but theres a price for that. The pride that we put into these things literally emit poisons as you drive them., Were seeing the long-term ramifications of that. That was always the metaphor: a beautiful red Camero and when you open the hood, theres something dark underneath.

Blood Drivepremieres on Syfy on June 14th.

Originally posted here:

Blood Drive Creator Talks Grindhouse, Censorship, Cop Erections - Den of Geek US

Photo credit: Anthony Souffle for Star Tribune

Now that Scaffold has come down andplans for what to do with the wood are underway, several organizations are publicly criticizing the Walker Art Centers actions in the case.

In astatement issued June 9, a group led by the National Coalition Against Censorship took issue with both the outcome and the process by which theWalker agreed to dismantle "Scaffold," which began on Friday, June 2, only seven days after Walker executive director Olga Viso opened public discussion about the sculpture by posting an open letter to the American Indian community.

"The Walkers decision to destroy Scaffold as a way to respond to protests sets an ominous precedent: not only does it weaken the institutions position in future programming but sends a chill over artists and other cultural institutions commitment to creating and exhibiting political, socially relevant work," said the statement from NCAC, which represents more than 50 organizations. The statement also was endorsed by the literary organizationPEN America, the International Association of Art Critics, Observatoire de la libert de cration (France), International Art Rights Advisors, Freemuse defending artistic freedom, Index on Censorship and Stichting In den Vreemde.

Moreover, the statement said, "The hasty decision did not allow for time to obtain meaningful feedback from the broader community or consider various options to respond to the concerns raised by Dakota leaders."

Recognizing theneed for cultural organizations and artists to respond in "creative ways" to such controversies, the coalition had reached out to the Walker, according toJoy Garnett, Arts Advocacy Program Associate at NCAC.

We were in communication with the Walker after the controversy erupted, Garnett said. We decided we might offer our assistance or sounding board we know that these things can be very complex. [The Walker] didnt take our advice to move more slowly. They moved quickly.

The timing of the protests wasinopportune for the Walker, which had planned the sculpture as part of the June 3 reopening of the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. It made another fast decision: topush back the openinguntil June 10.

Sam Durants Scaffold was a large wooden-and-steel structure composite of the gallows used in seven U.S.-state sanctioned executions, including the abolitionist John Brown (1859), the Dakota 38 (1862), the Lincoln Conspirators (1865), Saddam Hussein (2006), and several others. Facing starvation, a number of Dakota took up arms in 1862 after being forced onto reservations and cheated out of money they were owed. The six-week U.S.-Dakota War cost the lives of an estimated 600 white settlers and soldiers, and 100 Dakota warriors. The Dakota 38 was the largest mass execution in U.S. history.

Protests over the works placement in the Minneapolis Sculpture Gardenbegan on Friday, May 27after Walker Director Olga Viso posted an open letter to The Circle, an American Indian newspaper in St. Paul.The Walkers decision todismantle and remove the sculpturehappenedthe next day, Saturday May 27. One week later, on Friday, June 2,the piece was dismantledin a ceremony with Dakota elders and spiritual leaders.

The Dakota communityhasput a hold on any proposed burning, taking time to reconvene in-person with elders and spiritual leaders from different parts of North America. They willmeet on June 25to decide what to do with the wood, which is being held in an undisclosed location within the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.

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National Coalition Against Censorship criticizes Walker for decision ... - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Grant Berardo, a Wall High School junior, saw his image digitally altered with a plain black T-shirt in his yearbook. Mike Davis

Wall Township High School junior Grant Berardo's T-shirt was digitally altered in the school's yearbook. He wore a Donald Trump campaign shirt for his portrait.(Photo: Courtesy of Joseph Berardo, Jr.)

WALL -The teacher at the center of a censorship scandal in the Wall High School yearbook is a registered Democrat, according to public records.

Susan Parsons, 62, was suspended from her position as a digital media teacher and yearbook adviser on Monday after two students reported their school pictures were altered in the yearbook to remove references to President Donald Trump.

According to the Monmouth County election board, Parsons is a registered Democrat. She voted in the November 2016 general election but public records do not indicate which candidate she voted for.

ICYMI: Wall High teacher suspended over alleged Trump yearbook censorship

MORE INFO: Wall teen's Trump shirt censored in yearbook

But the young Trump supporters believe they were slighted specifically.

Grant Berardo, a junior at the school, took his school pictures wearing a navy blue "Make America Great Again" shirt from the campaign. But in the yearbook, his photo had been digitally altered so it resembled a nondescript black T-shirt, which you can see in the video at the top of the story.

It was Photoshopped," Grant said in an interview on Friday. "I sent it to my mom and dad, just like You wont believe this. I was just overall disappointed.

"I like Trump, but its history too. Wearing that shirt memorializes the time," he said.

Wall High School(Photo: File photo)

According to CNN, Wyatt and Montana Dobrovich-Fago also alleged censorship. The Trump logo on Wyatt's sweater vest in his picture was seemingly cropped out. And a quote attributed to Trump was inexplicably left out of a section dedicated to Montana's role as freshman class president.

Traditionally, class presidents pick a quote to accompany their picture.

DISAFFECTED:Trump supporters at the Shore 'want their country back'

TRUMP BUDGET:A guide for the Shore

"I like thinking big. If you are going to be thinking anything, you might as well think big," Trump's quote read.

Though none of the students were able to vote in last year's election, they certainly aren't alone in their support of Trump.

Wall is a strongly Republicantown in a strongly Republican county. All five Township Committee members and Monmouth County freeholders are Republican, andthe town is represented by Republicans in the state Senate, Assembly and House of Representatives.

ELSEWHERE: Bleeding liberal blue in red Jackson

Last year, the number of Trump voters nearly doubledthe 5,000 who voted for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. About 61 percent, just over 9,400 voters,in Wall supported Trump.

In Parsons'voting district, 434 people voted for Trump. Just 172 voted for Clinton.

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According to her LinkedIn page, Parsons has worked in the district for 15 years.

On her yearbook class'website within the district homepage, Parsonsincludes "photo editing" as one of the "real world skills" that students learn during yearbook production.

An office manager at the Wall Township Education Association, the district's teacher union, said there was no one there who could comment. Union officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Parsons has not returned multiple calls to her home seeking comment. Nobody answered the door at her listed address in Wall.

In an interview with the New York Post, Parsons said we have never made any action against any political party.

But when asked if she knew who altered the photos, Parsons simply said, Im going to hang up.

Mike Davis: 732-643-4223; mdavis@gannettnj.com

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Trump yearbook censorship: Wall teacher is a registered Democrat - Asbury Park Press

Thought policing is alive and well in the new media as social justice activists ramp up their crusade to silence and de-platform wrongthinkers from producing content within their medium, citing issues as nebulous as cyberviolence as reasons to censor those who oppose progressive ideology.

Following the explosion of outrage against an independent game developer who once expressed views critical of feminism in the video game industry, outrage warriors are now calling for the industry to enact strict rules against hiring and associating with developers whose views do not align with feminist orthodoxy. The target of their ire, Tim Soret, is producing a game called The Last Night, which went viral at E3 2017 after its reveal.

As developers, collaborators, publishers we have to vet those we work with, wrote Maya Felix Kramer, a queer activist and PR person in the indie game scene.

Kramer, who lists they/them pronouns in her bio and sits on the board for Feminist Frequency, and manages Fez developer Polytron, has worked withZoe Quinn, Christine Love, and numerous other large personalities in the gaming scene. Her words have been magnified and re-tweeted by hundreds of game developers and high-profile game journalists.

If that sounds too bleak, youre in a position of privilege, continued Kramer. We have to make our entities, companies, and studios have public policies and then hold our collaborators to those policies. We have to.

Referencing Soret, who had a good reputation prior to Zoe Quinns call to arms against him, Kramer wrote: We can no longer afford to say we didnt know or they seem nice many people havent had this luxury in a long time. Welcome to 2017.

Among many others, game designer Jennifer Scheurle echoed Kramers call with a tweet of her own.

Essentially calling for a blacklist or the creation of a sort of Games Code Authority against developers guilty of wrongthink, Kramer and her supporters are outraged by game developers and products that do not partake in their crusade for social justice.

I would urge those who want to see the world grow and progress to make sure they align themselves only with people who share those dreams, wrote Kramer.

Censoring media to fit a narrative is an impediment to creative expression. As it was with comic books and the Comics Code Authority in the 1950s, history shows that institutionalizing rules and forcing compliance for acceptable or prohibited content only condemns a creative medium to rot in the ghetto of hollow art.

Ian Miles Cheong is a journalist and outspoken media critic. You can reach him through social media at@stillgray on Twitterand onFacebook.

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Feminists and Social Justice Activists Call for Video Game Developer Censorship Blacklist - Heat Street

The Egyptian authorities have shifted their onslaught against media freedom to the digital sphere, blocking access to more than 40 news sites without justification in recent weeks, in an attempt to eliminate the countrys last remaining spaces for criticism and free expression, said Amnesty International.

At least 63 websites have been blocked in total since 24 May according to the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression, including 48 news sites. Mada Masr, an independent news site which regularly published news and analysis deeply critical of the authorities was among the first to be blocked. Most recently on 11 June the Egyptian news sites Albedaiah, run by independent journalist Khaled al Balshy, Elbadil and Bawabit Yanair were blocked. Access to the global online publishing platform Medium was also cut off on 10 June.

The latest clampdown on digital media is further evidence of Egypts age-old police state tactics in motion. Even in the darkest days of the repressive Mubarak era the authorities didnt cut off access to all independent news sites, said Najia Bounaim, Amnesty Internationals North Africa Campaigns director.

With this move the Egyptian authorities seem to be targeting the few remaining spaces for free expression in the country. It shows just how determined the authorities are to prevent Egyptians from accessing independent reporting, analysis and opinion about Egypt. The authorities must immediately stop arbitrarily blocking news websites.

With this move the Egyptian authorities seem to be targeting the few remaining spaces for free expression in the country

On 24 May, state media announced that Egyptian authorities had blocked a group of websitesincluding the prominent independent news platforms Mada Masr, Daily News Egypt, Elborsa and Masr Al Arabia. The authorities failed to provide any evidence of illegal activity or to clarify the legal basis for the decision. Instead officials made vague statements to the media saying this was in connection with publishing false information and supporting terrorism.

On 25 May, Egyptian newspapers published reports citing a sovereign agency (a term usually used to refer to Egyptian intelligence agencies) justifying the move on the grounds of combating terrorism and accusing Qatar of supporting some of the blocked websites, again without providing evidence.

Amnesty International has reviewed the list of blocked websites. The majority are news sites but the list also includes sites where VPN and TOR, which can be used to access blocked sites, can be downloaded. Amnesty International was able to identify only one website connected to groups that use or advocate violence.

Many of the sites that have been blocked had served as a refuge for Egypts remaining critical voices who no longer are allowed to appear on TV or in the print media, which have been firmly in the grip of the state since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi came to power.

The independent news and analysis website Mada Masr is known for unflinchingly exposing human rights violations committed by the Egyptian authorities in recent years, including arbitrary detention, unfair trials, the crackdown on human rights NGOs, extrajudicial executions and the use of the death penalty.

The sites editor-in-chief, Lina Attallah, told Amnesty International that she believes the site was blocked because it publishes well-researched investigations based on verified information. We publish what authorities dont want people to read, she said.

The Egyptian government appears to be exploiting recent violent attacks by armed groups in the country to crack down on the remaining free space and silence critical voices. Once again the authorities are using national security grounds to justify outright repression, said Najia Bounaim.

Instead of attacking critical and independent voices Egypt should respect the obligations enshrined in its own constitution and in international law not to impose arbitrary restrictions on freedom of expression and to protect the right of everyone to seek, receive and share information.

Once again the authorities are using national security grounds to justify outright repression

The governments decision to block these websites also flouts Egypts constitution, which prohibits censorship of the media, except at times of war and military mobilization, and protects freedom of expression and press freedom both in print and digital formats. The constitution also upholds the right of all citizens to use telecommunication tools and methods.

The legal grounds and authority the government has used to block these sites is ambiguous and it remains unclear whether emergency law provisions were applied. There are, however, a number of Egyptian laws that can be used to censor the media and the internet, on the grounds of national security.

After the bombing of two churches in Tanta and Alexandria in April 2017, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi declared a three-month state of emergency. An hour later, the authorities confiscated that days edition of Albawaba newspaper, which demanded that the Minister of Interior be held accountable for failing to prevent the bombing.

Under emergency laws, the authorities have broad powers to impose surveillance and censorship on media. On 10 April, the head of the Egyptian parliament, Dr Ali Abdelal announced that these laws will extend to social media platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. He added that these platforms were being used as means of communication between terrorists and warned that online offenders would face prosecution.

The vaguely worded articles of Egypts counterterrorism law also allow punishments of up to 15 years in prison for establishing a website for the purpose of promoting terrorist ideas and grant the authorities the power to block websites suspected of promoting terrorism.

Two of the blocked websites, Daily News Egypt and Elborsa, belong to the Business News Company, which is licensed by the government. In November 2016, the government froze the companys assets under the pretext that it belonged to the Muslim Brotherhood, without providing evidence to support this claim. The papers 230 staff have not received their salaries since.

Representatives of many of the websites affected have filed complaints with the Press Syndicate, the National Council for Media, the Ministry Communications and the Public Prosecutor, but so far received no response. Mada Masr has filed an appeal against the decision to block its website before an administrative court, but it has not yet heard the appeal.

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Dozens of news sites blocked as Egypt ramps up digital censorship - Amnesty International

Riding public transport armed with a wobbly TV-shaped cardboard frame and loud voices, a group of youngVenezuelanactivists have found a novel way to transmitnews, in a country where space has shrunk for stories about hardship and protests.

Traditional media have become more cautious in covering Venezuela's political crisis, and half the population have limited or no access to the internet.

So in early May, Claudia Lizardo, a 29-year-old creative director, decided to spread the word about what was happening in her country in a very direct manner.

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Realizing that other passengers on thebusesshe travels on were ill-informed about subjects she considers important, Lizardo and four friends began boarding the vehicles and readingnews bulletins, their faces framed by a mockup of a TV screen.

Despite participating in protests against President Nicolas Maduro's government, Lizardo's team says the goal of the project dubbed "BusTV" is to produce fact-basednewscasts toreachpeople tired of the high-pitched biases in other media.

"We want this to survive, that's why we have a respectful approach that doesn't look for confrontation with anybody," said Laura Castillo, one of the team "broadcasting" twice a week onbuses.

Members of the team must not wear political slogans on their clothes, respond to comments from their audience, or attribute blame to either side for the violence that has so far killed 68 people in the protests since April.

Focusing on routes that wind through the poorest neighborhoods in Caracas, Lizardo's crew talk about the protests and shortages but also report Maduro's views, along with sports successes and recipes for meals that can be made with cheap, available ingredients.

"The reaction is overwhelmingly positive," Lizardo said before one such ride. "For a long time in Venezuela, we have not had exposure to simple, honest information."

Members of an artistic group perform a "TV news show" on a public transportation bus in Caracas, Venezuela, June 10, 2017. The cutout reads "The Bus TV". Ivan Alvarado/Reuters

The model, which harks back to the "town-criers" roots ofnews broadcasts, is a world away from 21st century digital social media, but its directness may have struck a chord in Venezuela.

Another group ofjournalistshas replicated the initiative in the states of Carabobo and Anzoategui, in the center and east of the country, and BusTV, as Lizardo's group is known, says groups in other regions are planning to follow their lead.

"It is a way of opening people's eyes," said Rosalba Paredes, 66, a housewife listening to the BusTV crew in Caracas.

According to a study by media freedom group Instituto Prensa y Sociedad, between 2005 and 2015 more than 100 media organizations were taken off the air or censured in Venezuela.

The government says all the sanctions against the media have been because of violations to media regulation rules such as those prohibiting the incorrect use of violent images.

And private media have a history of hostility towards the ruling "Chavista" movement, including open support for a short-lived 2002 coup against Maduro's predecessor Hugo Chavez.

"Clearly, the government has the upper hand in communication, it has the power, money and capacity to inform," added Castillo, 41. "(BusTV) is a microscopic activity, but everything big starts tiny."

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Bus TV is Venezuelan Journalists' New Weapon Against Media Censorship - Newsweek

Two way street.

Censoring the internet is as difficult as it is futile, and Russian internetusers have convincingly demonstrated this to the government this month by turningits website-blocking system against itself.

During President Vladimir Putin's third term, which began in 2012, Russia has significantly stepped up attempts to purge the internet of "extremist" views. But the Kremlindoesn't havean equivalent of China's "Great Firewall," whichcontrols the internet through the gateways between the nationalsegment and the rest of the global network. Instead, internet providers are required to block the sites on theblacklistof the regulator agency Roskomnadzor.

Internet providers are not legally required touse a specific blocking method--such as deep packet inspection which analyzes data that passes through the internet for undesirable elements-- so many of them, including large cellular operators, merely block any IP addresses linked toa banned web address. In recent days, this peculiarity of the Russian system has led to an effective anarchic protest against censorship.

Instructionshave spread on social networks on how to block virtually any site. First, turnthe blacklist intoa shopping list, and buy up or re-register domains that are no longer in use. Then, link those sites to government IP addresses to trigger anautomatic blocking. It worked spectacularly well.The nationalcellular operator BeeLine, for example, promptly shut down access to many sites, including bank payment serversand pro-Kremlin media outlets such as Life.ru and NTV.ru. Even Roskomnadzor, the keeper of the blacklist, ended up blacklisted. According to Alexander Litreev, a St. Petersburg developer who runs a cybersecurity channel on the Telegram messenger, more than 30 percent of Russian users were at some point affected by the blockages.

This presented a problem for Roskomnadzor, but not for the obvious reason that bank transactions weren't going through for many people.To address complaints, the censorship agency merely put out a press releaseblaming providers and saying it would all be fine if Roskomnadzor could dictate the blocking method. The real problem was that Putin's annual "direct line" with voters -- a major event with questions collected through the internet and the resulting multi-hour marathon broadcast online as well as on TV --was scheduled for June 15, and the owners of blacklisted domains had the power to block it.

So at first, Roskomnadzor's regional agencies sent out to providers a whitelist of more than 2,000 domains that were not to be blocked even if they were linked to a banned domain. Gov.ru and Kremlin.ru, the domains for the government and the presidential office, were at the top of the list. It also included all the variations of "Google," making it possible to register a site like BlowUp.Google.AllahAkbar.org and avoid being blocked. It wasn't a great solution, especially since providers weren't obliged by law to implement the whitelist, and most wouldn't bother merely to avoid the hassle of deactivating it once it was, inevitably, recalled.

OnJune 9, the censorship agency came up with a better solution. It sent out a letter to providers, saying that up until June 16 -- the day after the Putin event -- they were to block only the specific IP addresses on the blacklist and not the ones to which traffic from them was redirected. It promised not to penalize providers for softening censorship in this way.

The censors will eventually solve this particular problem, perhaps by weeding out inactive domains from the blacklist so it won't be as easy to buy them, perhaps by pushing through legislation that would give them more power to tell providers what blocking technology to use. Last week, a bill was also introduced in the Russian parliament that would limit the use ofanonymizing software to bypass the blacklist. After all, since Putin's re-election in 2012, the number of Russian users of the anonymizing Tor network has grown from some 20,000 a day to more than 200,000.

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But the bans are a game of whack-a-mole. Having tasted relative internet freedom, Russia is less accepting of censorship than, say, China. As the whole world knows now, it also has a large, inventive hacker community that doesn't have much respect for restrictions, foreign or homegrown. Exploiting the Roskomnadzor flaw didn't require any hacking expertise, but if it's required as the censorship grows tighter and more sophisticated, it will be applied.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

To contact the author of this story: Leonid Bershidsky at lbershidsky@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mike Nizza at mnizza3@bloomberg.net

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How the Russian Internet Censor Banned Itself - Bloomberg

After a drive to the Berkeley Carteret, Collin and Deanna get settled in before the dinner and dancing start. Deanna Carraher, who has Down Syndrome and is going to her Freehold Twp. prom with Collin Bitsko, a former football and lacrosse standout who now plays lacrosse in college. (Photo: Peter Ackerman)Buy Photo

It's been hot hot hot this week, so here aresome of the hottest trending school stories around the Jersey Shore.

Censorship of a pro-Trump T-shirt?

The lesson in Wall High School is that if you don't like a political statement in a student's yearbook photo, don't Photoshop it away. Now a teacher is suspended and school administrators are seeking answers.

Don't miss this story, which went viral on Monday after news organizations across the nation picked it up and ran with it.

A prom story for a girl with Down syndrome

Freehold Township senior Deanna Carraher has Down syndrome and needed a prom date. Collin Bitsko is a lacrosse star who fulfilled her wishes. For theinclusive millennial generation, their pairing is natural.

"People now are willing to go the extra mile to make everyone feel included, and thats great," said a friend of Deanna's.

A Trenton intervention

The state Assembly passed a bill that wouldgive the Monmouth County superintendent of schools the power to make the Colts Neck school district, rather than the Tinton Falls schooldistrict, responsible for educating about 60 children of military familieswho live at Earle.

Tinton Falls Board of Education President Peter Karavites said the currentarrangement no longer works because their schools have become overcrowded while Colts Neck's have not.

"Blackface" photo creates stir in Brick

A middle school student covered his face in athletic eye black during a celebration, and whileteachers did not react, one parent did.

"I dont think he knew what he was doing," said Brick momAimee VanDuyne, who is white and has three children who are black.

The incident has spurred hard conversations about racism and racial sensitivity in the school district.

In other news:

APP business writer Michael Diamond tells us what we should have learned in college, but probably didn't.

Some Jersey Shore student writers won big at the APP Student Voices awards. "Student Voices is our opportunity to celebrate the academic achievements of young students," said Hollis R. Towns, Gannett New Jersey Regional Editor & Vice President/News. "We often celebrate sports and music but its rare that we invest as much as we should in academics, so Im extremely proud of this program."

State Sen. Jennifer Beck in an APP op-ed tells us to keep a close eye on school funding talks. "Over the next several weeks, a new plan for school funding will be debated in Trenton," she writes.

One lucky Toms River high school student won a car in the district's second annualDriven to Excellence program, a character-building effort. Here's how it works.

That's all for this week. Have a wonderful weekend.

Amanda Oglesby: 732-557-5701; aoglesby@GannettNJ.com

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School Scoop: Trump, censorship and race in schools - Asbury Park Press

Recently I had the opportunity to visit the Tri-Cities, and as a news reporter here in North Carolina, I thought I would "listen" to the scanner I use as the normal course of work I am engaged in. I was surprised when I had programmed the channels publicly available into my scanner corresponding to those "licensed" by the Federal Communications Commission to Sullivan County, Tennessee, and I heard NOTHING!

I saw emergency vehicles in the normal course of daily activities but heard NO calls from either a "dispatch" center or an individual vehicle. I saw an ambulance running emergency traffic, and I saw a Johnson City Police car stopped with another vehicle in an apparent traffic stop. On Friday, I spoke with an official at Washington County Emergency Services, who told me that he knew all local emergency communications in Sullivan County were "encrypted" or "blocked" which is overreach of local officials and bothers me as someone who lives by the U.S. Constitution and the First Amendment including free speech!

I understand this newspaper published a news story about six months ago concerning this issue. Folks, this is plain censorship of the public airways! It should NOT be tolerated!

I am surprised at the folks who feel they can do this and somehow show their face to the public or work for better relations between the police and the public!

Sullivan County, you have a lot going for you. Don't continue to mess it up with overreach and excessive control of the "public" airways. Fix this censorship immediately!

The government belongs to ALL people, NOT a few employed by the government!

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LETTER: An unseen kind of censorship - Bristol Herald Courier (press release) (blog)

USA Today Network Mike Davis, Asbury Park (N.J.) Press Published 9:31 p.m. ET June 12, 2017 | Updated 7 hours ago

Grant Berardo, a Wall High School junior, saw his image digitally altered with a plain black T-shirt in his yearbook. Mike Davis

Wall Township High School junior Grant Berardo's T-shirt was digitally altered in the school's yearbook. He wore a Donald Trump campaign shirt for his portrait.(Photo: Courtesy of Joseph Berardo, Jr.)

WALL, N.J. The Wall High School teacher and adviser of the yearbook club has been suspended due to alleged censorship of images and quotes by students supporting President Trump.

Superintendent Cheryl Dyer said Monday that the teacher, who she declined to name, was suspended "pending further disciplinary action" from the school board.

On the high school's website, the yearbook club's adviser is listed as Susan Parsons. According to public records, she collected an$87,950 salary last year.

"I don't have definitive answers to all of my questions yet, but I knew enough at this point to get board approval to take that action," Dyer said.

Related:

Teen's Trump T-shirt censored in yearbook photo

Fact check: No, Neil Gorsuch didnt start a fascism club in high school

Dyer declined to identify what disciplinary action could be taken. Termination would require the board to file tenure charges against her.

According to her LinkedIn page, Parsons has worked in the district for 15 years.

On her yearbook class's website within the district homepage, Parsonsincludes "photo editing" as one of the "real world skills" that students learn during yearbook production.

She did not return a call to her home seeking comment.In an interview with the New York Post, she said we have never made any action against any political party.

But when asked if she knew who altered the photos, Parsons simply said, Im going to hang up.

Wall Township High School junior Grant Berardo's T-shirt was digitally altered in the school's yearbook. He wore a Donald Trump campaign shirt for his portrait.(Photo: Courtesy of Joseph Berardo, Jr.)

There have been three reported instances of censorship in the yearbook, all revolving around students supporting Trump.

Grant Berardo, a junior at the school, took his school pictures wearing a navy blue "Make America Great Again" shirt from the campaign. But in the yearbook, his photo had been digitally altered so it resembled a nondescript black T-shirt, which you can see in the video at top of the story.

It was Photoshopped," Grant said in an interview on Friday. "I sent it to my mom and dad, just like You wont believe this. I was just overall disappointed.

"I like Trump, but its history too. Wearing that shirt memorializes the time," he said.

According to CNN, a brother and sister at the school also alleged censorship. Wyatt Debrovich-Fago wore a sweater vest in his picture with a Trump campaign logo, but it was seemingly cropped out of the photo.

His sister, Montana, served as president of the school's freshman class. That role usually comes with a quote next to a picture, and Montana selected: "I like thinking big. If you are going to be thinking anything, you might as well think big."

"I want to know who thought it was OK to do this," Janet Dobrovich-Fago, the teens' mother, told CNN. "I want the school to seek disciplinary action and to be held accountable."

In a statement released Sunday night, Wall school board President Allison Connolly said the board "found the allegations of wrongdoing disturbing and take the charge that students have had their free speech rights infringed upon very seriously."

Wall High School(Photo: File photo)

In a previous interview, Dyer saidthe only reason a student's image would be altered isif itwasin violation of the dress code clothing referencingdrugs, alcohol or violence. Political messages are "absolutely not" a violation, she said.

A spokesman for Jostens, the companythat takes the photographs and prints the yearbooks, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

It's not immediately clear whether the change was made by someone from the school district or photography company.

In an interview, Joseph BerardoJr. Grant's father called for the school to recall the yearbooks and reissue new ones with the unaltered photo. He said he would consider legal action if that doesnt happen.

From my perspective, I dont understand the censorship, Berardo said.I think it was probably politically motivated. It was inherently offensive to somebody and they made a decision to Photoshop it and without discussion, which is the worst part."

The problem would be "equally" as egregious if images of clothing supporting Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton also had been altered, Berardo said.

What are you doing? Dont you go to school to debate this stuff at the collegiate level, at the high school level, asked Berardo. Whats frustrating to me is that this was the first election he took interest in, but what message did the school send?

Follow Mike Davis on Twitter:@byMikeDavis

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NJ teacher suspended over Trump yearbook censorship - USA TODAY

While in Manhattan >> now some weeks ago, Isis & I approached the new High Line park by way of the Whitney Museum of American Art. Never made it to the High Line (80 away). We were distracted & then engaged by a wedding rehearsal dinner and a Frances Stark display, Censorship Now!! The display is a set of big (8x12?) panels, with paragraphs of text by writer, artist, post-punk musician Ian F. Svenonius. His writing, the Whitney catalogue says, makes the ironic/radical argument that censorship, not freedom of speech, might actually empower creative expression by raising the stakes of arts presumed role in society . . ..

Hmm: >> Censor speech, so that free speech becomes rare again, risky, existentially costly? Sounds like setting a fire, to have the glory of putting it out.--In any case, I dont think there can actually be an ironic/radical expression: I occasionally opine that irony can be defined as living in someone elses system while retaining a measure of self respect. Most of us do that, to some degree, too much of the time, while a few radicals (often self-described as freedom caucuses) uproot, destroy systems.--Ill go for Svenonius-as-ironist: Censorship would immediately grant [art] a compass, a meaning, a purpose, a direction, give it its power back. An artist who is anti-censorship is essentially waving a white flag, declaring their work to be inconsequential; a smudge, a scribble, a doodle, a polka dot.--Blue laws for Red states! says the deeply sympathizing Walrus.

Theres an argument >> to be made (and Svenonius almost endorses it) that the American-military-industrial-liberal-capitalist-Hollywood-Nashville-university-publishing-curatorial complex is already censorious enough.-- Not everyone gets wallspace in the splendid Whitney Museum of American Art and/or its Biennial, and that wallspace is itself funded in more or less obvious ways by the A-m-i-l-etc. Who chose, what cabal chose X not Y? Applied what standards? The music on the radiopop, rock, rap, and country songs which promote class war and celebrate idiocy, sociopathy, immoral wealth accumulation, discrimination, and stultifying social rolesis the thrown voice of Wall Street.--Hah! I knew it!

Svenonius >> has written me into an ironic box: Everything in the arts (including his book & media appearances) has been corporatized, distorted, imprisoned. The Whitney in New York? The Command Bunker at the Presidio in San Francisco? Equally enclosed art venues, equally censors of free expression. Is there no escape?--Driving home, up the 101 from SFO, somewhere around Healdsburg, I glance to my right. There are a few sculptures in a fieldquick apparitions, visions, which I dont risk trying to find in my rearview mirror. Outdoors. Anonymous. Gone for now. There are other such beauties on the Rumsey cut-off, Sacramento-bound. A few up in the State of Jefferson.--If you look with your minds eye into the corner of those open spaces, you see Svenonius writing: Art lives on, after ephemeral political leaders, after the circumstances of the moment. It crosses borders fluidly, without visas or permits. It acts as a rallying point for generation . . . etc.--One cannot be ironic all the time.

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Blue collar cool >> Ive been having some heavy work done up here. Macro machinery, micro tolerances. Phase one crew finishes up, says good-bye to those who are staying on for phase two: That was fun. Lets do it again.--And this morning, they are, drilling holes in the foundation. Suggests being inside my tooth when Dr. Lee is drilling it.

Gail Godwin >> Shes an 80-year-old writer, and on Saturday I quoted her whimsy about losing wordsshes misplaced one, rings for help, and waits for this very arthritic old butler whos [her] only servant left. And he comes up with his wooden tray, and theres one word on it. But its a good word.--My version of that oldster experience: Last might I was searching for an important name. Fruitlessly beat the raspberry bushes of memory. Fell asleep. Awoke at 2:43 a.m. & had just enough smarts to write down Bert Schlosser, the man who answered TWKs grouse about giving money to a bum: Because I have it, and he doesnt.--Wish Id met the man.

JM has pretty much finished mowing his defensible fire space on his ridge between Potter & Redwood valleys. Hes also found and repaired the seasons first irrigation leaks. Bring on summer!--itsallgood1776@gmail.com

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It's All Good: Censorship Now! Free expression now! In Healdsburg's fields... - Ukiah Daily Journal

A New Jersey high school teacher has been suspended after pro-President Trump messages were Photoshopped and edited out of the schools official yearbook.

Wall Township Public Schools Superintendent Cheryl Dyer said Monday that a teacher had been suspended pending further disciplinary action over the reported anti-Trump censorship at Wall Township High School, the Asbury Park Press reported.

The action comes after three students reported that their pro-Trump messages were censored by school officials. Grant Berardo, a junior, said a campaign slogan reading, TRUMP: Make America Great Again, was digitally editied from the shirt he wore in his class portrait.

It was Photoshopped, Grant told the Asbury Park Press. I sent it to my mom and dad, just like, You wont believe this. I was just overall disappointed.

A photo of Wyatt Debrovich-Fago, a junior, was cropped so that the Trump campaign logo on his sweater vest wasnt visible, CNN reported. Wyatts sister, Montana, was also left without an accompanying quote for her photo as class president when her quote from Mr. Trump didnt make it to print.

I want to know who thought it was OK to do this, their mother, Janet Dobrovich-Fago, told CNN. I want the school to seek disciplinary action and to be held accountable.

Ms. Dyer said the high school administration does not condone any censorship of political views on the part of our students.

In a statement Sunday night, Wall school board President Allison Connolly said the board found the allegations of wrongdoing disturbing and take the charge that students have had their free speech rights infringed upon very seriously, the Asbury Park Press reported.

Ms. Dyer did not name the suspended teacher, but the schools yearbook instructor is listed as Susan Parsons. Ms. Parsons told the New York Post: We have never made any action against any political party.

When asked if she knew who censored the messages, she said, Im going to hang up, the Post reported.

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NJ teacher suspended over yearbook censorship of pro-Trump messages - Washington Times