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The Twitter and blog world is abuzz with news of Amazon's removal of rankings to books with "adult" themes, including books with gay and lesbian themes but also books such as "The Joy of Sex." The ranking system does not mean that books are unavailable but that they do not show up in a search for bestsellers. MetaWriter includes a comprehensive list of the books affected.

A question from self-published author Mark R. Probst, who noticed that his book had lost its ranking elicited this reply:

In consideration of our entire customer base, we exclude “adult” material from appearing in some searches and best seller lists. Since these lists are generated using sales ranks, adult materials must also be excluded from that feature.

Amazon has since identified the problem as a "glitch" and is working to reinstate books that have been removed. Simon Bisson, blogging at Technology, Books, and Other Neat Stuff explains why it might be a nightmare for Amazon to fix.

In the latest news, a hacker is claiming responsibility for the removal of the tags, according to "Why It Makes Sense That a Hacker's Behind Amazon's Big Gay Outrage," an online article on ValleyWag. If this is indeed true, a few lines of code have created an incredible stir. According to the article, another programmer has debunked the myth.

In the meantime, questions are being raised about the consequences of having such a huge company have within its power the ability to decide which books should be ranked and which are deemed somehow dangerous to society.

It will be interesting to see how this drama unfolds.

Links to the buzz:

#amazonfail on Twitter
IT World
LA Times
CNET News
Jezebel.com
Publisher's Weekly
Booksquare.com who writes an open letter to Amazon
Entertainment Weekly News Briefs
Ubonchat.com, a collection of links
John Coultart who provides an interesting timeline to date
Edrants.Com

While the world waits to see the outcome of this drama, why not take the "Banned Book Challenge" with the Pelham Public Library. The challenge runs until June 30.

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The Corporation of the City of Cambridge wants to force the Cambridge Public Library to install and use Internet Filtering Software on their computers. Councillor Tucci put forward the following Internet Filtering Proposal found in the City of Cambridge's Council agenda of February 9, 2009.

Councillor Tucci - Internet Filtering Software On Computers

Recommendation
WHEREAS there is no law in Ontario prohibiting pornography and other sexually explicit material from being viewed on computers in public schools and libraries;

AND WHEREAS there are public schools and public libraries that do not use
internet filtering software on computers that blocks such inappropriate material;

AND WHEREAS significant changes have occurred with respect computer technologies, software and programs that could filter access to inappropriate, explicit sexual content;

AND WHEREAS parents in the province of Ontario have the right to ensure
their children are protected from pornography and other inappropriate material available on the internet in their public schools and libraries;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Council of The Corporation of the City of Cambridge petitions the Honorable M. Aileen Carrol, Minister of Culture, the Honorable Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario and, the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to require all public schools and libraries in Ontario to be required to install internet filtering software on computers to avoid viewing of sites with inappropriate, explicit sexual content;

AND FURTHER THAT the motion once approved be forwarded to all MPPs representing Waterloo Region, to the Leader of the Official Opposition, to the Leader of the 3rd party and, through AMO, to all other municipalities for their consideration.

In 2004, a Cambridge man was arrested for using a city library computer to download child pornography, according to a story in The Record. In the fall of 2008, the Cambridge Public Library Board twice rejected the call for the use of filtering but promised to review the situation as technology advances. The City of Cambridge refused to force the library to purchase filtering software in January 2009. Cambridge Public Library is the only library system in Waterloo Region that doesn't use filters. The issue has been raised once again. Cambridge Council voted 4-3 to support Tucci's recommendation, calling on the Province of Ontario to force libraries to use Internet blocking software.

Cambridge MPP Gerry Martiniuk is pushing a private members' bill (Bill 128) that would put internet filtering rules in place. Private members bills are rarely passed into law. Councilor Gary Price, who sits on the Cambridge library board, pointed out that libraries have a mandate to provide free access to legal information and that filtering software can block legal sites as well as questionable ones.

Below is the text from Bill 128 which is relevant to schools and public libraries:

Education Act
Every school board is required to ensure that every school of the board has in place technology measures on all of the school’s computers to which a person under the age of 18 years has access. The technology measures must do the following:

1. They must block access on the Internet to any material,including written material, pictures and recordings, that is obscene or sexually explicit or that constitutes child pornography.

2. They must block access to any form of electronic communication, including electronic mail and chat rooms, if the communication could reasonably be expected to expose a person under the age of 18 years to any material,including written material, pictures and recordings, that is obscene or sexually explicit or that constitutes child pornography.

3. They must block access to any site on the Internet or to any form of electronic communication, including electronic mail and chat rooms, if the school has not authorized users of the computers to access the site or the communication or if the site or the communication could reasonably be expected to contain material that includes personal information about a person under the age of 18 years.

A school is required to have a policy on who are authorized to use its computers to which a person under the age of 18 years has access and to monitor the use that persons under the age of 18 years make of those computers.

Public Libraries Act
The Bill amends the Public Libraries Act to make amendments that are similar to those that the Bill makes to the Education Act, except that the duties of a school board are those a board with respect to every library under its jurisdiction and the duties of a school are those of a public library.

Read an article which gives alternatives to internet filtering.


The Pelham Public Library challenges you to take the Banned Book Challenge. This challenge will run until June 30, 2009.

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This August saw the release of Everything I Needed to Know about Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume, a new young adult book many written by a host of woman who now write for young adults. Each author has contributed an essay on the effect Blume's books had on their own teenaged years. Blume's books have sold 75 million copies and have been translated into more than 20 languages. Judy Bloom has had her share of controversy over the years and every once in a while a new challenge is made against her books for their frank approach to puberty and teen sexuality. Forever is the usual target.

Meg Cabot, another author who has had her books (The Princess Diaries) challenged recently, is one of the essay writers.

Read an interview with editor Jennifer O’Connell on the CBC website.

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JOSEPH B. FRAZIER, a Writer for the Associated Press, reviews Filthy Shakespeare: Shakespeare's Most Outrageous Sexual Puns for SFGate.com. Author Pauline Kiernan points to puns and double-entendre that modern readers don't understand. She presents a number of original passages that she translates into modern English. The book is being released today.

Hamlet declares that something is rotten in the state of Denmark. "Rotten," according to Kiernan refers to venereal disease, a word that Shakespeare's audience would have understood. Various forms of the "f-word" can be found by readers in the know and the number of words for genitalia exceed 400. Kiernan describes some of Shakespeare's passages as "exuberant displays of sparkling coded sexy dialogue."

"Get thee to a nunnery" takes on a whole new meaning when one understands that "dancing school" and "nunnery" meant a brothel.

Who knew English class could be so interesting?

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According to an article entitled "Bible Under Fire in Hong Kong for Sexual, Violent Content" in the Christian Post, TELA (Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority), the media decency watchdog group has been flooded with at least 838 complaints against the Bible for its sexual and violent contents.

Protesters want the Bible reclassified as “indecent.” Local media say complaints refer to acts of violence, rape, incest and cannibalism. It would be illegal for minors under 18 years of age to purchase it the Bible would have to be wrapped with a statutory warning notice.

The complaints are thought to have sparked from an anonymous website, www.truthbible.net, which urged readers to press TELA to reclassify the Bible as an indecent publication. A column in the Chinese University's Student Press magazine may have sparked the debate when it was labeled as indecent by the Obscene Articles Tribunal because its survey asked readers if they ever fantasized about incest or bestiality.

The survey has sparked a storm of debate over social morality and freedom of speech in Hong Kong.

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Judy Blume's Forever is being released in several new editions with an updated introduction. Simon and Shuster is making both a teen and adult cover available.

Judy Blume recently did an interview with Newsweek and spoke about why she wrote the book, whether it is relevant today, why it is still being challenged after all of these years, etc.

She also tells about her new children's book which will be released this August.

It's called Soupy Saturdays With the Pain and the Great One, with wonderfully droll illustrations by James Stevenson. It's the first of four chapter books for young readers based on characters I created years ago in a picture book called The Pain and the Great One. I've wanted to revisit these characters for years. I'm glad I waited, because it feels as if the time is right.

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I received this comment today concerning Judy Blume's Forever. Parents, this young lady is speaking to you with wisdom and honesty and out of her own experience. Just for the record, our copy of Forever is in the Young Adult section where it belongs.


UnDer CoNstRuCT!oN said...

I'm a teenaged girl, 16 in fact, and I’m not telling you to give this book to your four year old but to all mothers this is a good book about the difference between true love and your first love. Sure there are sex scenes but there are more explicit sex scenes in the shows teens watch everyday and the difference between the scenes on TV and in the book is, on TV it seems romantic hip fun cool hot and sexy. They don't show the disappointment and hurt and pain that Judy Blume shows. Have you ever thought that the reasons teens have sex is because no one talks to them about it. I don't know about you but, my mom teaching me about sex doesn't exactly turn me on to having it, it teaches me not too. I don't know why it is in the adult section that’s like giving a cookbook to a world master chef you already know about it and have experienced situations similar to the story line. Saying a book will convince teens to have sex just shows how far we have come as a society why are parents trying so hard to ban this book or keep it away from teens, shouldn't you be worried about the internet and porno's and the ever popular MTV and BET, honestly wouldn't you rather have teens learn about the pain and heartache of having sex from Judy Blume (and you) than the cool hot sexy gotta have it now versions that the television and internet has to offer????

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