DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Striking Writers Find Their Villain: Netflix
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( John Koblin | Nicole Sperling | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Just over a week after thousands of television and movie writers took to picket lines, Netflix is feeling the heat. Late Wednesday night, Netflix abruptly said it was canceling a major Manhattan showcase that it was staging for advertisers next week. Instead of an in-person event held at the fabled Paris Theater, which the streaming company leases, Netflix said the presentation would now be virtual. He was scheduled to be honored alongside the “Saturday Night Live” eminence Lorne Michaels. In a statement, Mr. Sarandos explained that he withdrew because the potential demonstrations could overshadow the event.

☆ Opinion | Kids Know Books About Abuse Are Not Pornography. ‘Moms’ Should, Too.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Patricia Mccormick | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Last year, a parent at a Virginia school board meeting stepped up to a microphone and read a passage from my book, “Sold.” The scene she chose to read, informed in part by my own experiences of sexual abuse, describes the sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl by an older man. There is no graphic language or obscenity in the passage; the story is told from the point of view of a child — in the words of a child — and conveys her confusion, terror and physical pain. It made the list thanks, in part, to Moms for Liberty, a right-wing organization that has created a playbook that’s been used across the country — by people who in some case are not even parents — to lobby to have books removed from libraries and classrooms. These challenges are not grass-roots responses to books coming home in students’ backpacks; they are campaigns orchestrated by a national clearinghouse with shadowy funding and apparent links to groups such as the Heritage Foundation. “Moms” in Texas, Florida, Idaho, Pennsylvania and elsewhere have all read the same passage and have used similar language to challenge the book.

☆ Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio was convicted of seditious conspiracy, but the extremist group he ran is still alive and well
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The Proud Boys' former leader Enrique Tarrio was convicted of seditious conspiracy on Thursday. But despite recent convictions like his, the extremist group has been gaining ground across the US. The Proud Boys have turned their attention from attempting to overturn the 2020 election to targeting the LGBTQ community, and specifically, drag performers. In 2022 alone, Proud Boys members either led or attended an average of one anti-LGBTQ protest per week across the US, as previously reported by Insider's Laura Italiano. A federal jury in Washington, DC, found Tarrio and three other Proud Boys members guilty of seditious conspiracy on Thursday in connection with the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

☆ Opinion: The untold story about Anne Frank’s hiding place
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Opinion Roy Schwartz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

British actors Bel Powley and Joe Cole play Miep and Jan, with Liev Schreiber as Otto Frank. Only Otto Frank survived. Anne Frank's (1929-1945) world famous diary charts two years of her life from 1942 to 1944, when her family were hiding in Amsterdam from German Nazis. Anne Frank has particularly been in the zeitgeist in recent years, with the 2021 French animated film “Where Is Anne Frank,” a magical retelling of her story loosely based on the 2018 graphic novel; the 2022 Dutch Netflix movie “My Best Friend Anne Frank,” based on the book “Memories of Anne Frank: Reflections of a Childhood Friend”; the controversial, eventually pulled 2022 book “The Betrayal of Anne Frank”; and “After the Annex: Anne Frank, Auschwitz and Beyond,” coming out in May. While 89% have heard of Anne Frank, 32% don’t know she died in a concentration camp.

LLANO, Texas, April 13 (Reuters) - A rural Texas county's public libraries will remain open while a court battle continues over whether local officials can remove books deemed inappropriate, commissioners decided on Thursday. "Does Llano, Texas, want to be known as the town that closed the public library?" No state bans more books than Texas, according to PEN America. "Public libraries are not meant to serve particular ideological factions," said Kasey Meehan, who directs the "Freedom to Read" project of PEN America. Reporting by Evan Garcia in Llano, Texas, and Brad Brooks in Lubbock, Texas; editing by Donna Bryson and Sonali PaulOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ AOC said the story of Rosa Parks is 'too woke' for the GOP after mention of her race was removed from teaching materials
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Her comments came after a publisher in Florida removed mention of Parks's race from draft teaching materials. Look at these books that have already been banned due to Republican measures," Ocasio-Cortez said before holding up several books. "'The Life of Rosa Parks' — this apparently is too woke by the Republican Party," she said, referencing a book by Kathleen Connors. In another incident, a textbook publisher used in Florida schools removed references to Parks's race in a draft lesson plan in an effort to comply with the state's Stop WOKE Act, legislation pushed by Florida Gov. The Florida Department of Education later said the publisher was wrong to remove mention of Parks's race.

☆ Florida's decision to punish the Hyatt Regency over a drag show could be a win-win for DeSantis by having a 'chilling effect' on similar events and scoring him political points
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The Hyatt Regency Miami's alcohol license is being revoked after hosting a drag show, according to a complaint filed Tuesday. Ron DeSantis praised the move and could win political points for a potential 2024 run. A venue affiliated with the Hyatt Regency in Miami hosted "A Drag Queen Christmas" in December, a touring drag show that includes performers from "RuPaul's Drag Race." "Sexually explicit content is not appropriate to display to children and doing so violates Florida law," Bryan Griffin, DeSantis' press secretary, previously told Leonard. Deterring drag shows from occurring falls in line with the talking points of many prominent conservative figures, who view drag shows as harmful to children, even if might seem out of step with their "small government" values, he said.

☆ Former Florida teacher speaks out about incurring the wrath of Gov. DeSantis for tweeting a video of the empty bookshelves at his middle school
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A substitute teacher in Florida was fired after posting a viral video of empty library bookshelves. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis called the video, and the subsequent backlash over the book removals, a "fake narrative." The now-fired teacher, Brian Covey, told Insider that the situation is "mind-blowing" and "surreal." In October of last year, Brian Covey began working as a full-time substitute teacher at Mandarin Middle School in Duval County, Florida. A spokesperson for DeSantis told Insider in an email, "You should reach out to the school board about their employment decisions.

☆ Florida bill would ban gender studies majors, diversity programs at universities
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Sharon Bernstein | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Feb 24 (Reuters) - Florida Governor Ron DeSantis would gain more influence in the state's public university system, and majors involving gender studies or critical race theory would be eliminated if a bill filed this week wins support from the Republican-controlled legislature. The wide-reaching legislation represents a new front in the Republican war against the "woke" agenda many conservatives believe liberals are trying to push on public education across the country. Earlier this month, Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott told state agencies and public universities that such practices violated labor laws. The Florida bill would also prohibit spending on programs or campus activities that promote DEI and what it calls "Critical Race Theory rhetoric." Critical race theory is an academic concept that asserts that racism is woven into the U.S. legal system and ingrained in its primary institutions.

☆ An Oklahoma teacher faced death threats after she helped students access banned books. She says she's more scared for students than for herself.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Yelena Dzhanova | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

An Oklahoma teacher who helped students access banned books faced death threats. Summer Boismier left her teaching job and now works at the Brooklyn Public Library. The threats still rattle her, but she's more worried that teens and kids are losing access to books. Boismier resigned from her teaching job and moved 1,500 miles away from her home to Brooklyn, New York, where she began working for the Brooklyn Public Library. That alone shows how much of a demand there is for legislators to stop censoring books, Boismier said.

☆ Harvard school reverses course, will extend fellowship to human rights advocate
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The fellowship was subject to approval by Kennedy School Dean Douglas Elmendorf. Kathryn Sikkink, a human rights academic at the Kennedy School, told The Nation magazine earlier this month that Elmendorf told her he rejected the appointment because of what he called HRW's "anti-Israel bias." In an email to the community on Thursday, shared by a Harvard Kennedy School spokesperson, Elmendorf said he believed he had made an error. I hope that our community will be able to benefit from his deep experience in a wide range of human rights issues," Elmendorf said. Elmendorf in the email said his earlier decision not to award the fellowship had not been influenced by donors or "made to limit debate at the Kennedy School about human rights in any country."

☆ Free speech groups criticize Florida school for scrapping play
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Free speech groups have condemned the abrupt cancellation by Florida administrators of a high school student production of Paula Vogel’s play “Indecent,” which explores a flashpoint in Jewish and queer theatrical history. The National Coalition Against Censorship, PEN America, and the Dramatists Legal Defense Fund urged school officials to rescind their decision and work with students to stage the play as planned in March. Administration at Douglas Anderson School of Performing Arts in Duval County, Florida, this month pulled it from production — a few weeks after casting had been decided. It’s that simple.”Duke-Bolden denied the decision had anything to do with a new Florida law restricting discussion of race and gender topics. Critics have dubbed the ban the “Don’t Say Gay” law and say that type of restriction marginalizes LGBTQ people.

☆ Harvard school in row over fellowship for human rights advocate
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Simon Lewis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 10 (Reuters) - The prestigious Kennedy School at Harvard University is under fire over a decision not to award a fellowship to the former head of Human Rights Watch, which one academic said was due to the campaigner's criticism of Israel's treatment of Palestinians. The school's Carr Center for Human Rights Policy last year approached Kenneth Roth, who served as HRW's executive director from 1993 to 2022, and agreed on the terms of a fellowship, according to both Roth and the Carr Center. The fellowship was subject to approval by Kennedy School Dean Douglas Elmendorf. Kathryn Sikkink, a human rights academic at the Kennedy School, told The Nation magazine that Elmendorf told her he rejected the appointment because of what he called HRW's "anti-Israel bias." Harvard Kennedy School spokesperson James Smith said by email that Elmendorf decided not to appoint Roth "based on an evaluation of the candidate’s potential contributions to the Kennedy School," adding that the school does not discuss such deliberations.

☆ A Texas superintendent ordered school librarians to remove LGBTQ books. Now the federal government is investigating.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | Mike Hixenbaugh | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +11 min

The U.S. Education Department’s civil rights enforcement arm has launched an investigation into a North Texas school district whose superintendent was secretly recorded ordering librarians to remove LGBTQ-themed library books. The comments, combined with the district’s subsequent decision to remove dozens of library books pending a review, fostered a “pervasively hostile” environment for LGBTQ students, the ACLU wrote in its complaint. Last year, voters in Granbury elected a pair of school board members who campaigned against LGBTQ-affirming school curricula and library books. “These comments, combined with the book removals, really send a message to LGBTQ students in the districts that: ‘You don’t belong here. Lou Whiting, a student at Granbury High School, becomes emotional after speaking against the removal of LGBTQ books at a Granbury school board meeting in March.

"The worst governments are already going to suppress speech," said David Kaye, a law professor at the University of California, Irvine and the former free speech watchdog for the United Nations between 2014 and 2020. The free speech experts who spoke to NBC News on Friday said Twitter's actions could invite international attempts to manipulate Musk. Would some head of state say, 'Hey, can you do this for my country and prevent public reporting?' Kaye, the former U.N. free speech watchdog, said Musk's behavior reminded him in part of authoritarian leaders who enforce rules against challenging the government or criticizing powerful figures, such as royal family members or regime allies. Musk can talk about standing for free speech all he wants, but this should make it clear to everyone that what he’s doing is quite the opposite.

☆ Girls Who Code founder speaks out after Pennsylvania school district bans her books: 'This is about controlling women and it starts with controlling our girls'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-25 | by ( Bethany Biron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Girls Who Code founder Reshma Saujani is speaking out after her company's book series was banned from a Pennsylvania school district. The books were just added to PEN America's Index of School Book Bans, a list of restricted literature around the country. "This is about controlling women and it starts with controlling our girls and what info they have access to," Saujani told Insider. "This is about controlling women and it starts with controlling our girls and what info they have access to." "This is opportunity to start more clubs, get more girls to code, and get more girls to become economically free."

☆ More than 1,600 books banned during 2021-22 school year, report finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Jo Yurcaba | Jo Yurcaba Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

More than 1,600 books were banned in over 5,000 schools during the last school year, with most of the bans targeting titles related to the LGBTQ community or race and racism, according to a new report. PEN America, a nonprofit that advocates for free expression in literature, released a report Monday, the start of Banned Books Week, that shows the sweeping scope of efforts to ban certain books during the 2021-22 school year. Books were banned in 5,049 schools with a combined enrollment of nearly 4 million students in 32 states, the report found. Friedman pointed to a case in Walton County, Florida, where a popular children’s book called “Everywhere Babies” landed on a banned books list last spring. The most frequently banned books were “Gender Queer: A Memoir,” by Maia Kobabe, followed by “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” by George M. Johnson and “Out of Darkness” by Ashley Hope Pérez, the report found.

☆ Organized groups fuel rapid rise in U.S. book-banning, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Daniel Trotta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

There were 2,532 instances of individual book bans affecting 1,648 titles at 5,000 schools with 4 million students, according to the report. The research found 1,000 more book bans than were documented in the group's initial report released in April. PEN America said the rapid rise came as a growing number of groups have targeted books dealing with race or LGBTQ issues. The report identified at least 50 groups active in pushing for book bans, the vast majority of which have formed since 2021. More than 40% of the banned titles address lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer themes or have prominent queer characters.

☆ Meet Matt Krause, the man who critics say helped make Texas a national leader in book bans
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-18 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Texas now has the highest number of book bans in the US. Texas is now a leader in book bans, and one influential politician — along with pressure from the GOP — may have been the driving force, a Houston Chronicle investigation found. By April 2022, a PEN America analysis found that Texas had 713 bans, nearly half of all book bans in the US. Some politicians and parent groups disagreed with the inquiryKrause denies any political motivations behind the book list, but critics disagree. For Foote, the book bans represent GOP political motivations, citing school board officials and lawmakers who have begun their own book challenges.

Police said there was no immediate indication of a motive for the attack that left Rushdie severely injured and on a ventilator after surgery. "I'm not aware that he's ever asked us to provide additional security, and I'm also not aware that he ever brought a security detail with him," she said. Pilar Pintagro/via REUTERSFor Rushdie's event, Chautauqua had requested and received security assistance from the New York State Police and the Chautauqua County sheriff's department, Hill said. Fisher said safety, diversity and differences of opinion had long been part of the fabric of the Chautauqua community. "Not only was he (Rushdie) a victim, but I think that open community is going to be a victim as well," Fisher said.

"Salman will likely lose one eye; the nerves in his arm were severed; and his liver was stabbed and damaged." Stunned attendees helped wrest the man from Rushdie, who had fallen to the floor. The Iranian government said in 1998 it would no longer back the fatwa, and Rushdie has lived relatively openly in recent years. 1/25 A general view shows UPMC Hamot Surgery Center, where novelist Salman Rushdie is receiving treatment after the attack, in Erie, Pennsylvania, U.S., August 12, 2022. "I felt like we needed to have more protection there because Salman Rushdie is not a usual writer," said Anour Rahmani, an Algerian writer and human rights activist who was in the audience.

Search resuls for: "PEN America"

21 mentions found