Monthly Archives: October 2014

[472] Politicos BP Sugar Daddy, Capitalisms Successful Alternative Fukushima Censorship
Abby Martin Breaks the Set on Politico covering for BP, the need to rid the world of nuclear weapons and the continuing effects of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. LIKE Breaking the Set @ http://fb...

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[472] Politicos BP Sugar Daddy, Capitalisms Successful Alternative & Fukushima Censorship - Video

We #39;re Not Pros 7: Censorship
Censorship is a tricky subject. I guess partly the whole offensiveness to downright hate crime side factors in, I #39;m just opposed to words being spelled or said that aren #39;t made of letters....

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We're Not Pros 7: Censorship - Video

By EVE NEWMAN / even@laramieboomerang.com Wednesday, October 29, 2014

University of Wyoming professor Jeff Lockwood is scheduled to speak about censorship by the energy industry during a talk this weekend in Sheridan.

Lockwood, who works in the UW Department of Philosophy, is set to present the keynote address for the Powder River Basin Resource Councils 42nd annual meeting at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Holiday Inn in Sheridan.

The talk, Living Behind the Carbon Curtain: Wyoming, Energy and Censorship, is a preview of a book by the same name thats due out in 2016, to be published by University of New Mexico Press.

Im digging into the ways in which the energy industry has colluded with the government in both Wyoming and nationally as well as internationally, Lockwood said, to shape public discourse, and in some cases to explicitly censor free speech, particularly forms of speech the industry finds inconsistent with its interests.

The book highlights five examples of such censorship that have taken place in Wyoming, he said.

His talk this weekend will focus on two chapters and one example, about the cancellation of an art show.

Art work was censored from the Nicolaysen Art Museum in Casper because it was deemed offensive to the energy industry, Lockwood said.

His motivation for the project came from the handling of a sculpture at UW called Carbon Sink: What Goes Around Comes Around. It consisted of a spiral of logs from beetle-killed trees arranged around a pile of coal. The sculpture, by artist Chris Drury, was installed on campus in 2011. It was removed in May 2012, a year ahead of schedule.

University officials initially said water damage necessitated its early removal, though emails requested by the media suggested the sculpture might have been removed because some lawmakers and coal companies found it offensive. Much of UWs funding comes from taxes paid by coal mines and oil and gas fields in the state, plus donations from energy companies.

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UW professor to talk about energy, politics, free speech

Jerry Springer creator Richard Thomas has hit out at censorship in the arts.

Jerry Springer the Opera creator Richard Thomas has become the latest industry figure to speak out about the importance of freedom of speech within the arts, claiming organisations funded by the taxpayer have a particular responsibility to take risks.

His comments come after the cancellation of the Barbicans Exhibit B following protests last month, and as campaigners in New York rally against a production of Metropolitan Operas The Death of Klinghoffer.

Thomas described it as worrisome when stuff like that happens and added that a tour of Jerry Springer the Opera in 2006 had suffered because of protesters, many of whom had not even seen the production. Those against it, led by an organisation known as Christian Voice, labelled the show blasphemous.

It killed it, killed the ticket sales, Thomas said, adding: The wave of negative publicity made it sound like a shit show. But it wasnt, it was hilarious.

The writer, who has penned the lyrics to the new musical Made in Dagenham, said that he was a proponent of freedom of speech in the arts and warned that the industry should be wary of anything that encroaches on that.

Although Christian Voice lost a court case it tried to bring against Jerry Springer the Opera for being blasphemous, Thomas said it had made arts organisations think again about what shows they put on, because of the costs involved in defending them from potential legal action.

You would think twice about investing in such a show, no matter how good it is, if it has a contentious subject matter, he said.

Thomas added: Institutions by nature are risk averse But I feel its incumbent on taxpayer-funded institutions to take a risk.

The writer said that there were different constraints in the commercial sector, and claimed it would be naive to expect the West End to suddenly decide to do a musical set in the Gaza strip.

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News: Jerry Springer creator Richard Thomas hits out at censorship in the arts