The raised lettering on the red, yellow, and blue sculpted "Freethought Action Hero" award declares its first recipient: Jennifer Lovejoy of Asheville, North Carolina. It will be conferred during the forthcoming Carolinas Secular Conference, September 28-30, at the Charleston Marriott, 170 Lockwood Boulevard, Charleston, SC. FreeThoughtAction Vice President Joseph McDaniel Stewart will make the presentation Saturday evening, September 29, as one of the highlights of the banquet.
FreeThoughtAction is best known for its “Don’t Believe In God? You Are Not Alone” and “One Nation Indivisible” billboard campaigns and is an independent marketing adjunct of the American Humanist Association.
“With this award," said Stewart," Jennifer Lovejoy is being recognized as a true Freethought Action Hero for her courage, persistence and willingness to take a stand. Her ability to weather withering local criticism during the controversial 2010 North Carolina ‘One Nation Indivisible’ billboard campaign has been an inspiration to all of us who work for a more rational and secular America.”
"I've never considered myself a hero," Lovejoy said. "To me the billboard campaign was an opportunity to reach people who may have otherwise felt alone. It is people who matter to me."
Jennifer Lovejoy is a disabled Army veteran, wife and mother of two boys. She currently resides in Asheville, North Carolina, where she has been the spokesperson for Western North Carolina Atheists for three years. She is also founder and current president of Western North Carolina Humanists, a group involved in several community service projects, including Relay for Life and Light the Night. (For more information visit WNCHumanists.org .) 
The award is a colorful, sculpted 10.5 inch representation of an androgynous action hero with arms and hands raised, and the letter “A” for "Action" emblazoned on its chest. “We'll be presenting more of these awards in the future," added Stewart, "but I’m honored to be able to confer the very first on Jennifer Lovejoy. This one is long overdue.”
The Carolinas Secular Conference is being organized by the Carolinas Secular Association, a regional coalition consisting of secular freethought organizations across the Carolinas. Other awards to be presented during the conference include the “Carolinas Freethinker of the Year” award, to be presented to Amy Monsky, president of the Secular Humanists of the Lowcountry and Camp Director of Camp Quest–South Carolina; and the “Special Achievement” award to be presented to Justin Griffith, creator of the "Rock Beyond Belief" festival last year at Fort Bragg.
Featured speakers and special presenters at the conference include: Maggie Ardiente, director of development and communications for the American Humanist Association; Edwina Rogers, executive director of the Secular Coalition for America; and Mike Werner, former president of the American Humanist Association. Also in attendance will be Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association. This will be its second annual Carolinas Secular Conference. The first was held in Carolina Beach, NC, in November, 2011.
For a high resolution image of Jennifer Lovejoy, free for media use, please go to: http://www.freethoughtaction.org/images/Jennifer.jpg .
For a high resolution image of the FREETHOUGHT ACTION HERO Award, free for media use, go to: http://www.freethoughtaction.org/images/P9241206-800.jpg .
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FreeThoughtAction ( http://FreeThoughtAction.org ) is an independent marketing adjunct of the American Humanist Association ( http://AmericanHumanist.org ).
The Carolinas Secular Conference ( http://CarolinasSecularConference.org ) is organized to provide an opportunity for learning and sharing, bringing in speakers to inform and train, as well as to award grass roots achievement by individuals across North and South Carolina. Attendees will join in a live network of planning to meet the challenges of the next year and the coming decade. Beyond its role as a working event, the Carolinas Secular Conference aims to be a joyous celebration of the growing secular movement and culture and an opportunity for nontheists of all stripes to make new friends across the region.
The Carolinas Secular Association ( http://CarolinasSecularAssociation.org ) is a recently incorporated regional “coalition of reason” consisting of secular freethought organizations across the Carolinas and is responsible for organizing the conference.
Americans United, for one, does not seek, and has never sought, to restrict religious beliefs and practice in the United States. All we want is for religion to be kept out of the government (and government to be kept out of religion) because that's what the U.S. Constitution requires. Our founders did not base our government of "biblical values," as Perry claims, but on the values of freedom and equality. You can be a good American regardless of your views about religion.
MORE: http://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/satan-separation-and-absurdity-texas-gov-rallies-christian-warriors-to
Schlafly labors through 6000 words and many equations trying to debunk one of the best-tested ideas in all of science, making ridiculous claims that "relativity has been met with much resistance in the scientific world". This may have been true when it was first proposed in 1905 and 1915, but it was widely accepted by nearly all physicists by the 1920s, when numerous experiments confirmed it.
MORE: http://www.skepticblog.org/2012/09/26/does-einstein-threaten-religion-too/
In June, the Boko Haram militant Islamist group claimed responsibility for a series of church bombings that killed dozens.
The group, whose name means "Western education is forbidden," has referred to itself as the "Nigerian Taliban." It seeks to overthrow the government and replace it with a regime based on Islamic law.
MORE: http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/23/world/africa/nigeria-blast/index.html?hpt=iaf_c2
(AP) TULSA, Okla. - A 17,000-member megachurch deep in Oklahoma's Bible Belt has been rattled by allegations that five employees waited two weeks to report the rape of a 13-year-old girl in a campus stairwell, allegedly by a church worker.
Tulsa police say the girl is among at least three victims of alleged sex crimes by two former employees of Victory Christian Center who face criminal charges. A child crimes investigator says more victims could surface as police continue to investigate.
MORE: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57517379/tulsa-megachurch-rattled-by-sex-abuse-claims/?tag=exclsv
The cheerleaders at Kountze High School in Kountze, Texas, (about 90 miles northeast of Houston) had been using banners with Bible verses to motivate the football team during games. School administrators, however, received an anonymous complaint and rightly ordered the practice stopped.
Examples of signs included: “But thanks be to God, which gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ,” “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me” and “If God be for us who can be against us?”
Now some of the squad members and their parents are gearing up for a legal fight with talk of suing the school district for religious discrimination. The cheerleaders say making the banners was their personal choice and that the signs were made with supplies purchased by students and not the school.
MORE: http://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/give-me-a-u-for-unconstitutional-texas-cheerleaders-fight-to-display-bible
New ads scheduled to appear in the New York City subway system call for support of Israel in its war against "the savage," a reference to militant Muslims.
The ads, put out by a group called the American Freedom Defense Initiative, are aimed at criticizing violent attacks perpetrated by radical Islamists, according to Pamela Gellar, the founder and director of the group.
--snip--
The American Freedom Defense Initiative is principally a venture made up of Gellar and author Robert Spencer, who runs the website Jihad Watch. The organization is listed as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Gellar noted they have more than 30,000 Facebook followers, donors, and participants in their events.
MORE: http://abcnews.go.com/US/york-city-subway-ads-calls-jihadists-savages/story?id=17280805
Gravity is literally forty orders of magnitude weaker than all the other known forces in the Universe. (That means the gravitational force is a factor of 1040 weaker than the other three forces. Or -- and I’ll write it out just this once -- we’d need to increase its strength by 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 in order to have it be comparable to the other known forces.)
MORE: http://scienceblogs.com/startswithabang/2012/09/19/the-greatest-unsolved-problem-in-theoretical-physics/
See also...
Experiment Corrects Prediction in Quantum Theory
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/09/120919135312.htm
In their report, Lewandowsky and colleagues offer some strategies for setting the record straight.
* Provide people with a narrative that replaces the gap left by false information
* Focus on the facts you want to highlight, rather than the myths
* Make sure that the information you want people to take away is simple and brief
* Consider your audience and the beliefs they are likely to hold
* Strengthen your message through repetition
MORE: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/09/120919191212.htm
MOSCOW -- Yoko Ono, the artist and widow of legendary Beatles singer John Lennon, and Amnesty International have announced that members of Pussy Riot will be among this year's winners of the Lennon Ono Grant for Peace. The group will be awarded an unspecified grant during a ceremony in New York City on Friday.
The Russian feminist punk collective became famous worldwide after Russian authorities put three members on trial for a subversive stunt in Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral. In February members of the group jumped on the cathedral’s altar and performed what they called a "punk prayer," begging for divine intervention to rid Russia of President Vladimir Putin.
MORE: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/09/yoko-gives-peace-grant-to-jailed-russian-punk-group/
(CNN) -- A growing religion in southern Africa is posing a threat to the survival of wild leopards.
For the Nazareth Baptist Church, also known as the Shembe, leopards are seen as a symbol of pride, beauty and wealth, while their skins are viewed as essential attire for church elders who wear them around their necks during traditional ceremonies.
A mixture of Christianity and Zulu culture, the Shembe is one of the biggest traditional religious groups in South Africa with around 5 million members. There are fears from conservationists that as the church grows, Africa's leopards, already listed as "near threatened" by the International Union Conservation of Nature (IUCN), will be pushed towards extinction.
MORE: http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/16/world/africa/leopards-shembe-south-africa/index.html
Greencastle, PA -- The Greencastle-Antrim School Board apparently has a problem with the United States Constitution. Mr. Ernest Perce V, acting initially as the Pennsylvania State Director for American Atheists, Inc. and a long-time (and s0metimes controversial) activist in Pennsylvania, had received multiple complaints about inappropriate prayers being recited at school board meetings. In fact, Mr. Perce had personally attended one of these meetings to verify these complaints. He had personally witnessed the recital of “The Lord’s Prayer” by the Board. The prayer had been recited after the meeting had already convened. As well, not only did the Board invoke the prayer,
But they led it, as well…
MORE: http://freethoughtblogs.com/alstefanelli/2012/09/12/atheists-confront-school-board/
There are more than enough science-dependent issues in presidential politics to warrant a live presidential debate focused on those issues. A live debate would be much better than simply submitting written answers to questions. Read the answers the two campaigns submitted and you will see why -- they only sort-of answer the question, and as quickly as possible turn their answer to their campaign's talking points.
MORE: http://www.skepticblog.org/2012/09/10/science-debate-2012-answers/
See also...
The Top American Science Questions: 2012
http://www.sciencedebate.org/debate12/
Spherical objects concentrated at an outcrop Opportunity reached last week differ in several ways from iron-rich spherules nicknamed "blueberries" the rover found at its landing site in early 2004 and at many other locations to date.
Opportunity is investigating an outcrop called Kirkwood in the Cape York segment of the western rim of Endeavour Crater. The spheres measure as much as one-eighth of an inch (3 millimeters) in diameter. The analysis is still preliminary, but it indicates that these spheres do not have the high iron content of Martian blueberries.
MORE: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/09/120914154003.htm
See also...
First Planets Found Around Sun-Like Stars in a Cluster
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/09/120914133446.htm
Religiosity has declined in the U.S. by 13 percent since 2005, according to a new poll (PDF). The Millennial generation, born between 1981 and 2000, is the least religious yet, with one in four identifying themselves as religiously unaffiliated, atheist, or agnostic in a 2010 PewResearchCenter survey. That works out to about 15 million Americans who describe themselves as "convinced atheists," more than many mainline Protestant denominations, Jews, or Muslims.
Is there a market for merchandise for the godless? Retailers who cater to evangelical Christians with items including books, apparel, gifts, and Bibles represent $4.63 billion annually, according to the Association for Christian Retail. Those who sell to nonbelievers tend to be small business owners who are true nonbelievers. While bumper stickers and T-shirts are obvious favorites, books about evolution, educational games for children, and science-themed jewelry also hold appeal, says Derek Colanduno, an Atlanta computer programmer who hosts a podcast for skeptics.
MORE: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-09-07/can-the-godless-market-evolve-beyond-bumper-stickers
See also...
Myths and truths about atheism
http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20120902/OPINION04/309030008/Myths-truths-about-atheism?nclick_check=1
They said the daughter of the late President Park Chung-hee has a strong bond with Buddhists due to the influence of her late mother, Yook Young-soo, who was a pious Buddhist. The aides added that she is also close to several prominent Protestants.
Because of this background, some analysts say Park is de facto affiliated with the three key religions and this would help her relationship with Buddhists during her presidential campaigns.
MORE: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2012/09/116_118974.html
The phrase "Jesus is a monkey" was painted on the walls of Latrun Monastery in large orange letters, as well as the words "Migron" and "Maoz Esther," referring to two illegal Israeli settler outposts in the West Bank.
--snip--
Israeli extremists have previously retaliated against both Islamic and Christian sites when they were forcibly evacuated from illegal West Bank outposts or settlements.
In February, a Greek Orthodox monastery in Jerusalem was similarly targeted when Israeli extremists wrote "Death to the Christians" on the walls and slashed the tires of churchgoers' vehicles.
Many mosques in the West Bank have also been set on fire in recent years and racist graffiti sprayed on the walls, including the words "price tag" and "Mohammad is a pig."
MORE: http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/04/world/meast/israel-monastery-attack/index.html
(CNN) -- Federal prosecutors revealed a photograph Thursday that they say show an Amish man attacking another Amish man by attempting to forcibly cut his beard.
The photo was submitted as evidence in the trial of 16 Amish men and women charged with federal hate crimes in connection with last year's beard-cutting attacks in rural eastern Ohio. The trial started Monday at federal court in Cleveland with jury selection.
MORE: http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/30/justice/amish-beard-cutting-attack-photo/index.html?hpt=hp_bn1
The raised lettering on the red, yellow, and blue sculpted "Freethought Action Hero" award declares its first recipient: Jennifer Lovejoy of Asheville, North Carolina. It will be conferred during the forthcoming Carolinas Secular Conference, September 28-30, at the Charleston Marriott, 170 Lockwood Boulevard, Charleston, SC. FreeThoughtAction Vice President Joseph McDaniel Stewart will make the presentation Saturday evening, September 29, as one of the highlights of the banquet. 