Google/Squidoo Censorship?

Hey, get this: there's this service called Squidoo that allows a person to create a web page for free - it provides a lot of modules for adding functionality, liking listing out content from ebay, amazon, having lists of links and stuff. They call them a lens - a collection of links that you think related to a particular set of content. Pretty cool concept.

So I create this lense called buying 22 ammo - it has information about where to buy the ammo, what the costs are, what the different policies are, etc. I found out all this information when I was trying to buy ammo on line and had a difficult time figuring out the various places and policies. Figured other people would benefit. Squidoo has around 900,000 of these lenses and my lense was ranked around 5,000 - not bad. Definitely interest in the topic.

Then I get an email today, saying that they've shut my lens down because it violates the google ad policy and Squidoo makes money off the google ads. They say they can't have ads with firearms related content. here's the email:

Google has contacted Squidoo with the request that your lens be changed or
deleted, because the content on the page violates our advertising agreement with
them.

The lens: http://www.squidoo.com/buying22ammo

The Google AdSense program policies don't allow publishers (that's us, Squidoo,
and by extension, our lensmasters) to place Google ads on pages with content
related to weapons or weapon accessories, including firearms, fighting knives,
or stun guns.

To respect our partnership with Google, and as per our own Squidoo Terms of
Service, we're locking your lens from view.

The rest of your Squidoo account has not been locked or deleted, but chances are
this lens will remain so.

You can read more about Squidoo lens locking policies on the links below:

http://www.squidoo.com/squiddont
http://www.squidoo.com/locked
http://www.squidoo.com/pages/faq#ratingpolicy
http://www.squidoo.com/pages/tos

If you dispute this locking decision and would like to request a second review
of your lens and the chance to re-publish the lens with better content, please
forward this note to locked@squidoo.com with a written request.
We'll review your request within 1 month.

Thanks,
The SquidTeam
www.squidoo.com

I scanned through all the links above, but couldn't find any statement of policy against creating a lens with firearms related material. I'm going to have to read these again (read: lots of boring lawyer mumbo jumbo).

Wonder what else these guys don't like? It's interesting that Squidoo allows a user to flag their lens as adult content - that seems to be okay?

More to research on this one...

Cool Architecture

This is such a cool house: http://www.archdaily.com/22597/montecito-residence-oska-architects/

Movie: Ghost Town / Eagle Eye

So we sit down to watch Ghost Town and a 1/2hr into it I gotta pickup the kids. Kathy says she doesn't want to finish it and I'm not too jazzed about the movie either. So I go to pick up the kids and spot the movie Eagle Eye on the friends counter, "hey, just saw a preview for that in a movie we were watching tonight." They ask what movie we were watching and they laugh. They thought Town was okay, but wanted to see Eagle Eye because it was in the previews!

Ghost Town wasn't move'n me. Eagle Eye was fun - I get a little tired of, uh, how do I say this with out giving away the plot - this particular type of bad guy, but the movie was still fun.

Movie: The Great Raid

Amazing WWII film about the rescue of POW's from the death camps in the Philippines. These POW's were the survivors of the Bataan death march that claimed thousands - and that was before they got to the camps. Read the book, Ghost Soldiers for an in depth look at the march, the camps, and the most successful rescue on US history.

Architecture Principle

Isaac drew this crazy picture of a house with stairs all over, lots of rooms, etc. I said, "That's a pretty cool house!" "A house should be a good place to play hide-and-seek," he said.

Now that's a good architectural principle!

March Weather Madness

This weather is crazy - 55 on Saturday, Sunny, heavy rain, snow, 17 degrees, more rain, lots more rain, sunny and 22,.... I hate early spring.

But spring is coming: maple trees are tapped, geese flying, redwing black birds are here, blue birds are here.