Most Ironic Book Bannings

Below is 11point.com’s list of “the most hypocritical, ignorant, and, based on the content of the books, ironic” bans:

• Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury: The sci-fi classic is about a future government that bans and burns books. ‘Nuff said?
• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain: The anti-slavery classic is still banned in places for its use of the word “nigger.”
• The Satanic Verses, Salman Rushdie: A book satirizing “narrow-minded” aspects of Islam inspired Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini to put out a hit on the author.
• Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl: Banned in Alabama for being “a real downer.”
• The Harry Potter series, JK Rowling: Religious watchdog groups outlawed a series that teaches “love, understanding, and tolerance.”

For the complete list, click here.

College Rankings by Rigor

Paul L. Caron from the University of Cincinnati College of Law writes:

The American Council of Trustees and Alumni has rated over 100 colleges according to the rigor of their course requirements for undergraduates based on seven core subjects:  Composition, Literature, Foreign Language, U.S. Government or History, Economics, Mathematics, or Natural or Physical Science. The grade is based on a detailed review of the latest online course catalogs. The grading system is:

• A:  6-7 core subjects required
• B:  4-5 core subjects required
• C:  3 core subjects required
• D:  2 core subjects required
• F:  0-1 core subjects required

Only seven colleges earned an A grade:

• Arkansas
• Baylor
• City University of New York — Brooklyn College
• City University of New York — Hunter College
• Texas
• Texas A&M
• U.S. Military Academy

Below are the rankings of the U.S. News Top 25 National Universities and Top 25 Liberal Arts Colleges: