Equal Rights For Bullies: Religious Right Comes To The Defense Of 'Faith-Based' Harassment

Religious Right groups seek room for 'faith-based' bullying in the public schools.

MORE: http://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/equal-rights-for-bullies-religious-right-comes-to-the-defense-of-faith

Atheist Leads Invocation at City Council Meeting

"Rather than bowing our heads and closing our eyes in deference, we should open our eyes widely to face to reality that confront us," he said.

MORE: http://www.ktul.com/story/19423878/athiest-leads-invocation-at-city-council-meeting

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Invocation Inspiration: Tulsa Allows Humanist To Open Council Meeting
http://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/invocation-inspiration-tulsa-allows-humanist-to-open-council-meeting

Offside Call: Ga. Community Rallies For Football Coach Who Imposed Religion On Players

One supporter posted on the page: “I really dont no (sic) wat (sic) happen from when I went 2 school we had prayer an sang the Pledge of Alligance (sic) wat (sic) has happen 2 people tryin (sic) 2 stop prayer anywhere God will judge those people.” 

MORE: http://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/offside-call-ga-community-rallies-for-football-coach-who-imposed-religion

Another creation science attraction plans Northern Kentucky home

Founders of the Creation Science Hall of Fame, which now exists only as a website, would like to build a brick-and mortar structure along Interstate 75. The group will consider vacant land and the renovation of an existing site.

"When we have the funds, we would like to locate on the highway, about halfway between the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter," said Terry Hurlbut, secretary/treasurer of the group. "What better place to locate than between these two attractions? We envision that, as people fly or drive in to see them, we will be a stop along the way."

MORE: http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20120826/NEWS01/308260057/Another-creation-science-attraction-plans-Northern-Kentucky-home?gcheck=1&nclick_check=1

North Alabama Woman Sees Praying Image On Side Of Horse

Trudy believes the sign on the side of her horse was a sign from God that everything was going to turn out well for their family.

MORE: http://whnt.com/2012/08/30/north-alabama-woman-sees-image-on-side-of-horse/?hpt=us_bn8

Florida's first female high school QB

A 17-year-old senior is making history by becoming the first female in Florida to play quarterback on a football team.

MORE: http://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_t3#/video/us/2012/08/31/dnt-first-girl-quaterback-florida.wsvn

Oldest Occurrence of Arthropods Preserved in Amber: Fly, Mite Specimens Are 100 Million Years Older Than Previous Amber Inclusions

ScienceDaily -- An international team of scientists has discovered the oldest record of arthropods -- invertebrate animals that include insects, arachnids, and crustaceans -- preserved in amber. The specimens, one fly and two mites found in millimeter-scale droplets of amber from northeastern Italy, are about 100 million years older than any other amber arthropod ever collected. The group's findings, which are published August 27 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, pave the way for a better evolutionary understanding of the most diverse group of organisms in the world.

MORE: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120827180021.htm

Mystery of Operon Evolution Probed

ScienceDaily -- The threads of an evolutionary mystery that dates to the birth of molecular biology are beginning to unravel, thanks to a new investigation by computational bioengineers at Rice University and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

MORE: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120830173502.htm

Chimpanzees Create 'Social Traditions': Unique Handclasp Grooming Behavior Reveals Local Difference

Apart from the different style preferences of the chimpanzee communities, the research team also observed that the grooming handclasp behaviour was a long-lasting part of the chimpanzees' behavioural repertoire: the behaviour was even transmitted to the next generation of potential handclaspers.

MORE: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120828190858.htm

We Are More Easily Influenced When We Follow Our Heart

ScienceDaily -- When we let our hearts choose for us, we are more influenced by people who resemble ourselves, a PhD study from BI Norwegian Business School shows.

MORE: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120828073302.htm

NASA's Kepler Discovers Multiple Planets Orbiting a Pair of Stars

ScienceDaily -- Coming less than a year after the announcement of the first circumbinary planet, Kepler-16b, NASA's Kepler mission has discovered multiple transiting planets orbiting two suns for the first time. This system, known as a circumbinary planetary system, is 4,900 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus.

MORE: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120828190127.htm

See also...

NASA's GRAIL Moon Twins Begin Extended Mission Science
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120831135012.htm

NASA Launches Radiation Belt Storm Probes Mission
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120830075008.htm

NASA's Jupiter-Bound Juno Changes Its Orbit
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120830202851.htm

NASA Rover Returns Voice and Telephoto Views from Mars
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120827191958.htm

Curiosity Rover Plays First Song Transmitted from Another Planet
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120828190645.htm

Hubble Spots a Supernova in NGC 5806
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120831135203.htm

Couple to debate right to distribute atheist book

The Chouinards alleged they were discriminated against "due to creed" and that no material from non-Christian religions were solicited or distributed in the district.

"If they allow Gideon Bibles in the schools, then why can't other groups distribute their material as well," he said on Tuesday. "This is not fair for people who may believe in other religions."

MORE: http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2012/08/28/20150556.html

Unprecedented civil union unites Brazilian trio

The first-of-its-kind civil union has led to an outcry from religious groups, too. Those who fear the "slipperly slope" feel the ground moving underneath their feet.

"The institution of family cannot be defended with the approval of actions that seek to distort its definition," the religious, conservative Plinio Correa de Oliveira Institute said in a statement.

"The purpose of this (union) is not to build families, but to destroy them."

MORE: http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/31/world/americas/brazil-polyfaithful-union/index.html

Death toll rises to 3 in bombing in Kenya

The riots were spurred by Monday's killing of radical Islamic cleric Aboud Rogo Mohammed. Rogo was accused of supporting Al-Shabaab militants in Somalia and was blacklisted by the United States and the United Nations Security Council.

MORE: http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/29/world/africa/kenya-cleric-killed/index.html?hpt=iaf_c2

Pakistan court postpones bail decision for girl accused of blasphemy

Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- A Pakistani court postponed a hearing Saturday on whether to grant bail to a Christian girl accused of burning pages containing Quran verses in a case that has heightened religious tensions.

MORE: http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/01/world/asia/pakistan-girl-blasphemy/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Suicide blasts at U.S.-Afghan base kill 13

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

MORE: http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/31/world/asia/afghanistan-base-attack/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

See also...

3 Australian troops killed in 'green-on-blue' attack
http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/29/world/asia/afghanistan-troops-killed/index.html

Afghan soldier kills two NATO troops, ISAF says
http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/27/world/asia/afghanistan-troops-killed/index.html

Car bomb outside coffee shop kills 2, wounds 11 in Baghdad

Iraqi authorities blamed al Qaeda for what they describe as coordinated assaults targeting mostly Shiite areas.

MORE: http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/01/world/meast/iraq-violence/index.html?hpt=wo_c2

Taliban attack on Pakistan border checkpoint kills 8 soldiers

A Pakistani Taliban spokesman called CNN to claim responsibility for the attack.

MORE: http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/29/world/asia/pakistan-taliban-battle/index.html

Attacks on Arabs in Israel prompt soul-searching

Jerusalem (CNN) -- Two attacks carried out against Palestinians in recent days, one in Jerusalem and the other on the West Bank, have prompted some uncomfortable questions in Israel about racism toward Arabs.

MORE: http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/30/world/meast/israel-arab-racism-concerns/index.html?hpt=imi_c2

See also...

Israeli court: American protester Rachel Corrie's death an accident
http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/28/world/meast/israel-rachel-corrie-verdict/index.html?hpt=imi_c2

Report: Atheism rate growing worldwide

Atheism is on the rise worldwide, and religiosity is falling, according to a recently released poll by WIN-Gallup International.
 
MORE: http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=18&articleid=20120825_18_A13_Atheis778117

See also...

Viewpoints: Why is faith falling in the US?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19262884

Atheists try to make their voices heard
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/editorials/2012/08/27/atheists-try-to-make-their-voices-heard.html