change.org

Mad Max with an American accent? Not so fast

When you think "Aussie sci-fi," you probably think first of the 1979 dystopian action film "Mad Max," starring Mel Gibson in his breakout role. Now, a video game version is on the way, but some fans are outraged to see an American voice actor cast in the leading role.

The upcoming third-person open-world game by Avalanche Studios, due out sometime next year for PCs, the PS4, and Xbox One, made an appearance at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), where Ausgamers was told the developer wanted "someone generic" to play Max.

In fact, Avalanche founder Christofer Sundberg told IGN, "We treated this as a completely new property, and that was really the only way for us to take on a licensed game. It's the first licensed game we've ever taken on. And we wanted to treat it like an original IP. The setting -- where it is in the world -- has really nothing to do with the Mad Max video game. It's really a game to do with the relationships between different people in this world." … Read more

Breast cancer activists win battle with Facebook over mastectomy photos

Facebook has clarified its policy against nudity to allow for postmastectomy photos after a run-in with vocal breast cancer awareness advocates disgruntled by the social network's practice of removing photos depicting mastectomy scars.

In May, Scorchy Barrington, a woman with Stage IV breast cancer, petitioned Facebook executives through Change.org to end the company's practice of censoring photos of men and women who have undergone mastectomies. Barrington said Facebook was removing photos from the SCAR Project Page, which features photographs of young breast cancer survivors, and that Facebook had banned project founder and photographer David Jay from the … Read more

Was Apple protest leader Mark Shields an 'accidental activist'?

Apple fans were seething.

In January, they heard actor Mike Daisey describe during a radio broadcast the intolerable working conditions he witnessed at Chinese factories where iPads and iPhones are assembled. Many found their way to an online petition started at Change.org by a man named Mark Shields. The petition demanded Apple improve safety at these facilities, and it would eventually include 256,000 names.

At first, the petition appeared to have simply bubbled up from an outraged public.

Not quite. Apple fan or not, the 36-year-old Shields is a professional advocate and activist. The public-relations firm that has … Read more

Apple pulls 'gay cure' app following protests

Following an online petition and a wave of complaints, Apple has removed a so-called "gay cure" app from its App Store.

Launched last month by Exodus International, a ministry that encourages gay people to seek "cures" for their homosexuality, the app triggered a huge outcry from Two Wins Out, a nonprofit group with the stated goal of fighting anti-gay religious extremism.

Pointing out that any therapy or cures to change one's sexual orientation have been soundly rejected by all the major medical associations. TWO launched an online petition at Change.org calling on Apple to … Read more

Apple removes anti-gay app from App Store

Apple has removed an iPhone app considered anti-gay following a wave of protests sent through the online petition site Change.org.

Initially approved and available in the App Store in October, the Manhattan Declaration app was submitted by members of the Manhattan Declaration, a movement launched last year by a number of Christian leaders espousing their condemnation of both gay marriage and abortion rights.

In approving the app, Apple originally gave it a rating of 4+, meaning it had "no objectionable material."

But described by Change.org as an application that invites people to join anti-gay and anti-choice … Read more

Change.org: Way better than an online petition

Earlier this week, Caroline took a look at VentBox, a place for people to get things off their chest. The limitation with sites like that is that they don't often solve your problems, which is where Change.org attempts to fill the gap. Change.org is designed to allow people to discuss and collaborate to make a change in a wide variety of fields. You also can vent all you want by starting your own change. It's grassroots, but on a global level.

Users can create their own cause, get others to join it, and begin discussions. You … Read more