For high-school-ers required to read “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” it’s hard to believe that there was a time when it was one of the most banned or challenged books in American schools. Just why was it so controversial for people in the early part of the 20th Century?

It has always centered around the language of the book, although the “offending” language has changed from time. Originally, some people objected such “crude” words as “sweat.” They claim that perspiration was much less offensive and should have been used instead. Also, in 1902, the Brooklyn Public Library found offense with the novel because of the statement that “Huck not only itched but he scratched.”

But the most notorious word that many found offensive–indeed, that many still find offensive–is the word “nigger.” The truth is, it was historically accurate to use the word for that time period. And in fact, in today’s hip-hop culture, where African-Americans use it frequently among themselves, it has lost some of its sting. Still, older blacks find it offensive, especially for whites to use it. However, in the 21st Century, thankfully, few people today doubt “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’s place among American classics.

A comic book app made especially for the iPhone and iPod touch, and sold through the Apple iTunes store, has been banned due to its violent and gory content. The digital comic entitled Murderdrome was created by England-based Al Ewing and Belfast-based Paul J Holden of Infurious Comics. The ‘anning of Murderdrome by Apple prompted a plea from Infurious Comics for some sort of age rating system for the App store. As of now, there is no age rating in place, and the banning of Apps is done so at Apple’s discretion.

On the Infurious Comics blog, the comic-writing duo wrote: “Here at infurious, we would love to work with Apple to ensure a content rating system can be put in place to allow material that is no more offensive than many of the R rated films available to download on iTunes.” Murderdrome has now been put online by Ewing and Holden so that their fans don’t miss out on their latest creation.

This is such an adrenaline giving ride that people with heart and other problems are banned from riding it! Imagine 90 feet of free fall thru air – such a rush!! But diseased hearts can’t definitely take it. Anyway, get ready to SCREAM for the ride of your life!

A Russian court has banned a book about Adolf Hitler by the late historian Hugh Trevor-Roper, saying quotes attributed to the Nazi leader insult Russians and Jews. The banned book is 1953 “Hitler’s Table Talk: 1941-1944″, which records Hitler’s sometimes racist ramblings on a wide range of topics. Russia’s Prosecutor-General said in a statement that texts published in “Hitler’s Table Talk” are of “an anti-Slavic and anti-Semitic character”.

He said that “a host of statements by A. Hitler in the book insult the dignity of Russian and Jewish peoples who are presented in quotes as inferior and primitive people because of their nationality.” The Prosecutor-General said certain Hitler quotes in the book — such as “Russians are beasts,” “Slavs are a mass of inborn slaves” — had caused offence. The book will now be put on a national list of extremist works that are banned and owning or distributing it would then be illegal.

What the?? Where is the world going to?? But apparently, it’s all for a good cause. It’s to prevent embarrassing classmates who live with single mothers and lesbians. The politically correct policy was quietly adopted at schools “in the interests of sensitivity” over the growing number of lone-parent and same-sex households. It only emerged after a large number of fathers failed to receive their traditional cards and handmade gifts. Family rights campaigners, however, condemned the policy as “absurd” and argued that it is marginalising fathers, but local authorities said teachers need to react to “the changing pattern of family life”.

Tina Woolnough, 45, whose son Felix attends Edinburgh’s Blackhall primary school, said several teachers there had not allowed children to make Fathers Day cards this year. Mrs Woolnough, a member of the school’s parent-teacher council, said: “This is something I know they do on a class-by-class basis at my son Felix’s school. Some classes send Father’s Day cards and some do not. The teachers are aware of the family circumstances of the children in each class and if a child hasn’t got a father living at home, the teacher will avoid getting the children to make a card.”

Thank god I don’t live there! Honestly, I can’t live without my daily dose of celebrity gossip from glossy mags. Hehe! According to AFP, Iran has banned nine (!!!) lifestyle and cinema magazines for “publishing photographs of corrupt foreign artists and details about their decadent lives.” The latest issue of Donya-ye Tasvir carried articles about several Hollywood female stars including Naomi Watts, Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman, all accompanied by pictures. Guess they are the corrupt foreign artists mentioned! Poor gurls!

Iran’s celebrity mags regularly print articles and pictures of foreign film stars, as well as of Iranian actresses in the kinds of loose headscarves and tight-fitting clothes that are frowned upon by the Islamic authorities. If you’re an avid fan of Iran celebrity mags, here are the significant banned ones: Donya-ye Tasvir (World of the Image), Sobh-e Zendegi (Morning of Life), Talash (Effort) and Haft (Seven). Go grab your soon-to-be out in circulation copy now! Hehe!

A decade ago, Congress banned the sale of sexually explicit material on military bases. Now the Pentagon is being asked to extend to ban to soft-porn publication such as “Pentouse” and “Playmates in Bed.”

The request comes after dozens of anti-porn groups have complained to Congress. “They’re saying ‘we’re not selling stuff that’s sexually explicit’…and we say it’s pornography,” USA Today quoted the American Family Association’s Donald Wildmon as saying.

For their part, the Pentagon’s lawyer’s argue that “for a magazine to be found lewd and lascivious, a certain percentage of the content would have to fall under that category,” and the soft-porn magazines don’t meet that percentage. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md., who sponsored the 1996 law, says the military is skirting Congress’s intent. “If soldiers want to read that stuff, they can walk down the street and buy it somewhere else.”

The Military Honor and Decency Act of 1996 bars stores on military bases from selling “sexually explicit material.” It defines that as film or printed matter “the dominant theme of which depicts or describes nudity” or sexual activities “in a lascivious way.”