Fortunately, it will only be in Belleville, Illinois plus the ban is limited to older teens and up. Whew! Hehe! According to reports, the city has limited trick-or-treating to kids in eighth grade or below in this city near St. Louis. Mayor Mark W. Eckert signed the ordinance banning the tradition for older teens, saying homeowners complained about late-night door knocks on Halloween.

He says the city’s government also believes Halloween is for small children. Exceptions will be made for special-needs kids and teens accompanying younger siblings. Belleville Police Chief William Clay says he expects parents to enforce the new rules. He says officers will stop older trick-or-treaters and make them go home. If they don’t, their parents can be fined $25. Nasty!

“Go Ask Alice” is a book that deals realistically with young people’s dealings with drugs–and so naturally, it has come under fire, and is often the target of book banning.

The 1971 book is about drug abuse and considered a classic of youth literature. The novel (autobiography?) claims to be the journal of an anonymous teenage girl who died of a drug overdose in the late 1960s. It’s therefore presented as a testimony against drug use. Alice is not the author / main character’s name; the book never gives her name. A woman named Alice, who is a fellow addict, is mentioned briefly in the book. The author meets Alice on the street.

The book caused a stir when published and remains in print as of 2007. Revelations about the book’s origin have caused much doubt as to its authenticity and factual accounts, and the publishers have listed it as a work of fiction since the 1980s. Today, most critics consider it to be the work of its editor, Beatrice Sparks. It makes for compelling reading, and rather than banning it, it should be encouraged as reading material for teens.

I love beer commercials! And so far, we’ve posted mostly those fun ads from Budweiser and Bud Light. This time around, we’re gonna share a banned commercial from Heineken beer! No sexy ladies or funny stuff here — just pure violence!
More

Banned because there was just too much sexual innuendo! Not to mention the ladies bared so much cleavage, hehe! Anyway, this banned commercial is apparently of a Bulgarian Vodka drink and is set in a club bar. Go watch!

Although they didn’t make a big fanfare over it, Google has taken a stand in favor of free reading rights, and against censorship and book-banning. They’ve done so by launching their “Celebrate Your Freedom to Read” page, at http://books.google.com/googlebooks/banned/.

The page contains a list of what the editors consider the best books that were ever challenged in the 20th century; highlighted books that have been challenged this year; and a link to the American Library Association’s “Banned Books Week” resource page.

The page editors comment, “It’s hard to imagine a world without these extraordinary literary classics, but every year there are hundreds of attempts to remove great books from libraries and schools. In fact, according to the American Library Association, 42 of 100 books recognized by the Radcliffe Publishing Course as the best novels of the 20th century have been challenged or burned. [It's our] effort to expand the universe of books you can discover, and we’re proud to join libraries and bookstores across the country in celebrating Banned Books Week – a nationwide initiative to help people learn about and explore banned books.”

Banned because one of the commercial’s character bared his butt! And it wasn’t a pretty sight, LOL! Still, this airline commercial is pretty funny so enjoy watching! =)

Not surprisingly, 3 of the world’s most banned books deal specifically with sex. Here’s a brief description of them:

In “Daddy’s Roommate,” by Michael Wilhoite, A young boy describes his father’s relationship with his roommate, Frank (they “live together, work together, eat together, sleep together . . .”), and his own relationship with these men–shopping, gardening, and enjoying the zoo, beach, movies, etc. He believes that “being gay is just one more kind of love. And love is the best kind of happiness.’”

“Sex” by Madonna contains a lot of provocative photos and basically covers every sexual fantasy that one might have. activities include sex with animals, sadomasochism and “inter-generational love affairs” such as the relationship between an 11-year-old boy and a 21-year-old man.

Easily the most controversial book on the list is “The New Joy of Gay Sex.” While I won’t ask for it or any other book to be banned, I would never own it. It discusses activities such as sex with animals, sadomasochism and “inter-generational love affairs” such as the relationship between an 11-year-old boy and a 21-year-old man. These are disturbing ideas that I will protest by not supporting the author with my dollars.

Which is probably how most book-protests should be handled.