MetaFilter posts tagged with Controversy

The Hand of God, Part Deux

lovermont — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:49:12 -0800

The world of soccer has been rocked by a French player's game-defining handball in the much-anticipated qualifier match between France and Ireland. Thierry Henry has admitted to the offense, but said ultimately it is the duty of the linesman to make the call. His action and subsequent admission have drawn strong reactions, including attempts to vandalize his Wikipedia page. This sort of thing isn't new to the World Cup; in fact, Henry's move has been dubbed "Le Hand of God” by British tabloid The Sun, and “Hand of Gaul” by The Australian, both in reference to Argentinean player Maradona's “Hand of God” goal in the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal match between Argentina and England. Is it time to introduce video replay? Tournament organizer Danny Jordaan says videos wouldn't end these kinds of mistakes. There are others who disagree. In an added layer of controversy, last month, Ireland's goalkeeper Shay Given had voiced his displeasure with FIFA's decision regarding seeding the playoffs; Republic of Ireland assistant manager Liam Brady speculates that seeding decision may have influenced the linesman, something he expressed concern about going in. Despite all the hoopla, FIFA insists there will be no rematch. See Le Hand of Gaul here.

This art is no good, attack the radical!

dubold — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:45:42 -0800

Tom Sanford, a NY based artist, has created paintings depicting pop-culture icons before, but none have created a "regular trickle of hate mail/criticism" like this one. The 2005 painting - a depiction of the 2004 shooting of "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott by ex-Marine Nathan Gale (previously) - is being auctioned in November. Some fans of Dimebag are a little worked up (see comments). Other interviews with Tom Sanford. Other art (quicktime movie) inspired by Dimebag Darrell (previously)

Makeup and mutinies

divabat — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:55:23 -0800

The Mineral Makeup Mutiny was founded to encourage consumers to buy indie self-made mineral cosmetics, instead of overpriced makeup that were repackaging wholesale micas from companies such as TKB Trading, or publishing contradicting ingredients lists and sending Cease-and-Desist Letters to unfavourable reviews. Miss K of Aromaleigh, founder of the Mutiny (and former seller of repackaged wholesale hues, which she's discontinuing in favour of original colours), demonstrates how mineral eyeshadows are made. Bonus link: How to make vegan lipsticks.

"An Epidemic of Fear." Wired takes on the anti-vax movement

zarq — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:48:51 -0800

Wired profiles pediatrician Paul Offit, co-creator of the RotaTeq rotavirus vaccine and a primary target of the anti-vacci nation movement. Dr. Offit published a book,“Autism’s False Prophets” in 2008 but didn't tour, because he had received too many death threats. The profile by Amy Wallace*, is part of a collection of articles on vaccinations, including "The Misinformants: Prominent Voices in the Anti-Vaccine Crusade", "How To Win An Argument About Vaccines", and "A Short History of Vaccine Panic". *Wallace is receiving hate mail for it. She's been twitting about that here. (Vaccines: Previously on MeFi)

Eleanor Cameron vs. Roald Dahl

ocherdraco — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:38:52 -0800

From October 1972 to October 1973 a controversy over Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory simmered in the pages of The Horn Book. It began with an article, "McLuhan, Youth, and Literature", by Eleanor Cameron, author of the Mushroom Planet series for children and of The Green and Burning Tree: On the Writing and Enjoyment of Children's Books. Spread out over the October, December, and February issues, it tied the ideas of Marshall McLuhan (The Medium is the Massage) to the confection of Charlie, calling it "one of the most tasteless books ever written for children":

"The more I think about Charlie and the character of Willy Wonka and his factory, the more I am reminded of McLuhan’s coolness, the basic nature of his observations, and the kinds of things that excite him. Certainly there are several interesting parallels between the point of view of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and McLuhan’s 'theatrical view of experience as a production or stunt,' as well as his enthusiastic conviction that every ill of mankind can easily be solved by subservience to the senses."

What followed was a knock-down, drag-out, letter-writing brouhaha, refereed by Horn Book editor Paul Heins, with librarians, parents, teachers, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Roald Dahl himself joining in, and it was one of the main causes of the book's revision that year. The whole saga: October 6, 1972: Roald Dahl hears of the impending publication of Cameron's article, and writes to Paul Heins. Eleanor Cameron's article appears, in three parts: October, December, and February. February 1973: An anonymous reader protests the first part of Cameron's article; Paul Heins is aghast. The Horn Book prints Dahl's response. The first raft of letters include a report of "spirited fifth and sixth graders respond[ing] with considerable heat and light" to the idea of "the death of the book." April 1973: Paul Heins points out that much of the controversy is at critical cross purposes and provides "an attempt to clarify the situation — to sort out the different kinds of premises on which the various arguments are based." Eleanor Cameron returns, and writes not only about the sad situation of the Oompa-Loompas' "role as conveniences and devices to be used for Wonka’s purposes," but also of the unsatisfying nature of Charlie's fate. More letters; this time with Ursula K. Le Guin throwing herself in Cameron's camp. June and August 1973: The letters continue:

"By no means are children incapable of making strong literary judgments. They do it all the time and it’s about time we began to listen to them. They have chosen Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and, like it or not, they will keep him no matter what adult literary arbiters have to say."
"Eleanor Cameron’s reply to Dahl was perfect and important. Her point that people, who are concerned about children’s literature and reading, 'must think about a book as well as have feelings about it' if we are to consider what they say as criticism, is too often glossed over in children’s literature courses."

October 1973: The last word, from Doris Bass, at Dahl's publisher Knopf, on the revisions to Charlie that were partly inspired by the Horn Book imbroglio.

Coming to a T-shirt near you

philip-random — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 22:08:43 -0800

Chaos Reigns! The unlikely catchphrase hails from Lars von Trier’s arthouse horror movie "Antichrist" and is fast on its way to becoming this year’s "I drink your milkshake!" A few months ago in Southern France. The scene with the fox. (Not-Suitable-For-Breakfast)

Untying the Pink Ribbon

batmonkey — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:29:26 -0800

October's focus on breast cancer is a curvy pink double-edged sword and those in the fight agree. The public edge is mostly about raising money, too, which is generally committed to research. Many find the other edge of the pink storm to be a cynical marketing blitz. Some products may be a contributing factor. Plastic is a chief concern. Soy products - particularly popular with the health-conscious - may also be part of the problem. Donated profit is often a small percentage of the various costs associated with the items - consumer, production, and ecological . Direct donation and effort contributes far more and goes further. Educating yourself and others can accomplish even more. Know the risk factors and various causes.

Since when does Hollywood shy away from controversy?

zarq — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 10:25:39 -0800

The Producer Cites Religious Controversy. The Director points to a recessionary trend against "serious" movies. A new film about Charles Darwin's life ("Creation") is reportedly having difficulty finding a US distributor. ( Creation: IMDB / Official Site / Trailer / Spoiler-laden review from Roger Ebert / LA Times review // Darwin: Previously on MeFi).

A new battle for the Plains of Abraham?

zadcat — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 18:54:23 -0800

Two hundred and fifty years ago the Battle of the Plains of Abraham* took place in Quebec City. In a fight that lasted less than an hour (following a three-month siege throughout the summer of 1759), both generals died and the British won Quebec, soon becoming masters of most of North America. This summer has seen plans for a re-enactment of the battle cancelled and now a controversy over an event to be staged next week, the Moulin à paroles (Mill of Words)**. Plans include a reading of the manifesto of the Front de libération du Québec, a group which carried out bombings and kidnappings throughout the 1960s, culminating in 1970's October Crisis, which is a hot potato that may provoke new trouble on the Plains next week. *Despite the resoundingly Biblical-sounding name, the Plains of Abraham were merely some fields belonging to a local man named Abraham Martin. They are now part of the Battlefields Park in Quebec City. **Presumably so named after the successful multimedia show Le Moulin à images mounted last summer for Quebec City's 400th anniversary.

Putting a 14-year-old in a "lie detector" - what did you expect would happen?

divabat — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 02:54:17 -0800

Sydney radio station 2dayFM earned the ire and backlash of the Australian public - rape counsellors, Australian media, and Community Services ministers - after an on-air stunt by morning crew Kyle and Jackie O went horribly wrong. During their regular "lie detector" segment, a 14-year-old girl was interrogated by the hosts and her mother over her sexual history, against her will, and revealed that she had been raped at 12 on air (warning: possibly triggering audio clip embedded in news article). The hosts immediately offered to pay for counselling services, but questions such as "And did you have any other experiences?" led to widespread on Twitter, calls for sackings and shutdowns, and a major PR crisis for radio group Austereo. While the station and its hosts have released an official statement and Kyle Sandilands has stated he was "stunned" by the revelation, authorities are now seeking out the girl's mother for investigation. This is not the first time Kyle and Jackie O (mostly Kyle) have courted controversy.

Dagger of the Mind

Artw — Wed, 06 May 2009 15:01:13 -0800

The SF Signal Mind Meld feature poses science fiction related questions to a number of SF luminaries and the scientist, science writer or blogger. Subjects have included the best women writers in SF, taboo topics in SF, underated authors and the most controversial SF novels of the past and present. The also cover lighter topics, such the role of media tie-ins, how Battlestar Galactica could have ended better (bonus Geoff Ryman) and the realistic (or otherwise) use of science on TV SF shows.

D. All of the above

crossoverman — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 17:43:33 -0800

Is Slumdog Millionaire

A) A white man's imagined India
B) The reality of Mumbai
C) An immensely likeable slice of broad entertainment – nothing else
D) All of the above?

And will it win the Oscar for Best Picture now that it's taken the Producers Guild Award for Best Picture and the SAG award for Best Ensemble?

Polyvorous

divabat — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 01:42:56 -0800

Polyvore is a website that lets you mix and match online images to make fashion sets and collages. While it has received favour from Web 2.0 pundits, fashion bloggers, and major craft blogs, it has also drawn massive ire from artists that claim copyright infringement and use of personal photos. The anti-Polyvore pressure mainly comes from Etsy sellers, with some support from artists on DeviantArt, Red Buddle, and independent artists - all coming together on Flickr. We Heart It and Ffffound! are also seen as suspect. While Polyvore tries to assuage copyright fears, amidst growing pressure to shut down, many of Polyvore's current users are counter-petitioning for the site to stay.

Another Day, Another Dispute at Facebook

etaoin — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 09:06:14 -0800

A NEW FACEBOOK CONTROVERSY A NEW FACEBOOK CONTROVERSY has developed, this time over photos of women breastfeeding their babies. But Facebook is standing firm.. The protesters have also formed a Facebook group, of course, Hey Facebook, Breastfeeding Is Not Obscene. It's not the first controversy at the social networking site and this blog documents activities, rumors and news about Facebook. The site was criticized after one moron posted photos showing himself costumed as a Virginia Tech shooting victim. Privacy and user data are always issues at the site. There was the Facebook Beacon program, that tracked users' activities on the Web to a much greater extent than originally anticipated. And for students, there's the matter of parents using Facebook, driving their children crazy. For the love of god -- don't let parents join Facebook has more than 6,400 members, mostly teenagers embarrassed or angry that their parents use the site, fearing a loss of privacy. But not everyone has the same complaint; this blogger was happy to find his grandfather on the site. And now Facebook itself is battling site aggregator Power.com in an effort to control access to user information.

Sunny von Bulow Dies

amyms — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 23:49:47 -0800

Martha "Sunny" von Bulow died this weekend at a nursing home in New York City, nearly 28 years after being found unconscious at her Rhode Island estate (and subsequently falling into an irreversible coma) in December 1980. Her husband Claus, who obviously became a controversial figure, was found guilty of her attempted murder (the alleged method being an overdose of insulin), but his conviction was overturned on appeal and he received a second trial in which he was acquitted. The sensational case, which featured testimony from many notables including Truman Capote, attracted worldwide publicity and rocked high society. It spawned numerous books, television shows and a 1990 movie.

Don't go to business school(?)

divabat — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:39:08 -0800

Business writer Seth Godin tell readers to forgo the MBA and spend six months in his company. While potential applicants have made use of social networking to show their enthusiasm, others think it's a bad idea. Great opportunity or massive scam?

"It's great to do something that has an effect on British culture"

chuckdarwin — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 07:34:53 -0800

Mark Leckey has won the Turner Prize. Quote: “I kind of hate the relationship the press in Britain has towards art,” he said. “I hate the way it’s all Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin and Banksy. They expect spectacle and shock. Art is not like that. The art world I know is not like that; it’s a whole other world.” Soundsystem | The March of the Big White Barbarians | 'I want a TV show'

LittleBigPlanet Recalled

yellowbinder — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 11:52:12 -0800

LittleBigPlanet, the highly anticipated create your own platformer game by Media Molecule, originally set to release next week, has been recalled. The reason? Apparently one of the music tracks used in the game, "Tapha Niang" by Grammy Award winner Toumani Diabate, contains verses from the Qur'an. As it's a no no to mix Islamic holy text with music, Sony has pulled the game after complaints. The problem has been fixed, but no new release date has been announced.

Spertus Museum pulls plug on controversial map exhibit

hydrophonic — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 22:08:28 -0800

The Spertus Museum/Spertus Institute for Jewish Studies has just canceled Imaginary Coordinates due to complaints that some of the artwork (NSFW: nudity, disturbing imagery) in the exhibit had an anti-Israeli slant. This comes less than a year after the opening of their much-heralded new building. The show, which was part of Festival of Maps Chicago, was first shut down a few weeks after it opened in May, then retooled and reopened with limited access by guided tour only. Spertus has purged information about the exhibit from their website, but you can still catch a video tour produced by the museum (exhibit tour starts at about 1:40).

Rethinking Literacy

divabat — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:49:19 -0800

The Dark Side of Literacy - Indian education reform organization Shikshantar, who aims to encourage concepts of "Swaraj", or self-rule in local education, argues that current education and literacy models do not take into account local cultures and languages and gives too much credit to the Western alphabet. They also argue that there are many serious flaws in what they describe as UNESCO's campaign of "McEducation For All".

An Affair to Remember

Four-Eyed Girl — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 08:34:44 -0800

She was 82. He was 95. They had dementia. They fell in love. And then they started having sex.

Earthquake fashion shoot

Sitegeist — Sat, 24 May 2008 08:11:09 -0800

The editors of the Chinese lifestyle magazine New Travel Weekly thought it might be a good idea to shoot a fashion spread in the rubble of the Sichuan earthquake. The editors have now been sacked and the magazine is undergoing rectification.

Cliff Richard and General Franco: the 1968 Eurovision mystery

nthdegx — Mon, 12 May 2008 07:34:58 -0800

It's the story that has Britain in uproar*: Cliff Richard and General Franco: the 1968 Eurovision mystery. Did General Franco scupper the judging? Exhibit A: Cliff's UK entry, Congratulations. Exhibit 2: Spain's winning entry by Massiel, La la la. For added measure, exhibit iv: here's Cliff's 1973 entry, which believe it or not also did not win, Power to all our Friends (though Cliff's spectacular moves should not sway your opinion on the controversy* in any way). [*not really].

'There is no such thing as polywater because if there were, there would also be an animal which didn't need to eat food. It would just drink water and excrete polywater' - Richard Feynman

Large Marge — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 22:34:51 -0800

If you were doing research in the 60s, You might've heard of Polywater, A form of water that exhibited wide variety of interesting characteristics and existed under identical conditions to that of normal water. Eventually debunked, none the less is a fascinating story. Naturally one draws parallels to Vonnegut's ice nine, but did you know there actually is an ice nine? In fact, there's twelve to sixteen types of ice, depending on your opinion. More recently, computer simulations have indicated water may structure itself into icosahedra, which, incredibly, is the platonic solid (described over 2000 years ago!) representing the element water! And if you don't know what an icosahedron is, I bet you've used one before. One of the most ubiquitous, and arguably most important, substances in our lives, our understanding of water is far from complete.

Is Tiger Woods Bad for the Environment?

netbros — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 11:48:59 -0800

Are golf courses bad or good for the environment? Chances are the answer you give depends on whether you are actively involved with the game. Representing anti-golf we have the Organic Consumers Association, the Journal of Pesticide Reform (pdf), and the Global Anti-Golf Movement. Speaking on behalf of golf course management the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews (pdf) and the United States Golf Association. A group of leading golf and environmental organizations have jointly developed Environmental Principles for Golf Courses in the United States.