Reason Rally Contest Entry

Organizers prepare atheism-themed Bragg event

RALEIGH, N.C. -- It has been more than a year in the making, but organizers of the first concert at a U.S. military base aimed at atheists and other non-religious service members and their families say they're putting the final touches on the Fort Bragg event.

"Rock Beyond Belief" is scheduled for Saturday, March 31, and plans to feature bands and speakers, including Richard Dawkins, the famed British scholar and atheist author. It will be the highest-visibility event so far in a growing effort by military personnel without belief in God or religions to be recognized by their peers and the Pentagon.

MORE: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2012/02/ap-organizers-prepare-atheism-themed-bragg-event-022912/

Another PR Crisis for Scientology

Cook also testified that in 2007, while doing work at the Scientology International Base in Southern California, she was taken to a pair of double-wide trailers she called "the hole." She testified that she was held in the "hole" for seven weeks, that there were bars on the windows and security guards posted at the door, and that the food was "was like leftovers, slop, bits of meat, soupy kind of leftovers thrown into a pot and cooked and barely edible."

She also testified that the trailer was infested with ants, that they slept in sleeping bags on the floor, and that on several occasions, the electricity was cut and the temperature reached 106 in the trailers.

During this time, Cook testified, she and other executives were repeatedly pressured to confess their alleged misdeeds. As she had said in court, Cook told ABC News that she was made to stand in a trash can and water was poured over her as people screamed at her to admit "bad things."
 

MORE: http://abcnews.go.com/US/pr-crisis-scientology-abc-news-exclusive/story?id=15813613

'Thou Shalt Sue Us': Georgia House Wants Commandments In Schools And Other Public Buildings

If Georgia lawmakers get their way, a copy of the Ten Commandments could be displayed in every single government building in the state. And that includes public schools!

MORE: http://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/%E2%80%98thou-shalt-sue-us%E2%80%99-georgia-house-wants-commandments-in-schools-and-other

See also...

Update: Voucher Funding Removed from ESEA Reauthorization Bills
http://www.au.org/blogs/legislative/update-voucher-funding-removed-from-esea-reauthorization-bills

Espanola Man Finds Image of Jesus In Tortilla

David Sandoval said he saw the image on Ash Wednesday last week. He said he has always been a believer but he just couldn't quite believe he was actually seeing the face of Jesus on a tortilla.

MORE: http://www.koat.com/r/30565508/detail.html

Earlier...

Man Sees Jesus In Tree's Bark After Recent Storm
http://www.koat.com/news/28938722/detail.html

Man Says Jesus' Face Forged In Cross
http://www.koat.com/video/27629809/detail.html

Related...

Pareidolia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareidolia

Apophenia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophenia

Atheist in memory lapse and slavery shock

The survey was done by Ipsos MORI in accordance with its strict rules to ensure accuracy and impartiality, and on 14 February we published the results in the form of two press releases and a link to the underlying data (all of which is now on richarddawkins.net together with links to the extensive press coverage). The main conclusions are very much as we suspected. First, although the official census figures have not yet been published, our sample suggests that the percentage that describes itself as Christian has dropped from 72 to 54 (plus or minus 2 points).

That is a significant finding in its own right, but more telling is how small a proportion of even that 54 per cent believes in Christianity in any sense that could reasonably justify giving Christianity privileged influence in public life. In all that follows, it is important to remember (a retired bishop with whom I debated on television this past week got this wrong) that the percentages quoted are not percentages of the population at large, but percentages of the 54 per cent who self-identified as Christian. I will call them "Census Christians".

To pick out a handful of Ipsos MORI's findings, only a third of the Census Christians ticked the Christian box because of their religious beliefs. Not counting weddings, baptisms and funerals, half of them hadn't attended a church service at all in the previous year, 16 per cent hadn't attended in the past ten years, and a further 12 per cent had never done so. Only 44 per cent of Census Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Only a third believe that He was physically resurrected.

MORE: http://www.newstatesman.com/religion/2012/02/following-census-christian

See also...

QED: How to make a success of a conference for skeptics
http://richarddawkins.net/articles/645141-qed-how-to-make-a-success-of-a-conference-for-skeptics

Rich People More Likely To Take Candy From Children: Real Report

The study adds to a growing body of evidence that indicates that the rich tend to be less sensitive than others. The mere mention of money makes people less generous, less helpful and less likely to look for teammates, according to research by Kathleen Vohs, a marketing professor at the University of Minnesota, cited by The Boston Globe.

In addition, a study by Adam Waytz and Nicholas Epley, professors at Northwestern University and the University of Chicago, respectively, found that people with more social connections are more likely to dehumanize others. And a report from researchers at the University of California-Berkeley released in December came to a similar conclusion: That rich people are less likely to feel empathy.

MORE: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/27/rich-people-_n_1305008.html?1330385447&icid=maing-grid10|htmlws-main-bb|dl3|sec3_lnk1%26pLid%3D138966

Winning Makes People More Aggressive Toward the Defeated

ScienceDaily -- In this world, there are winners and losers -- and, for your own safety, it is best to fear the winners. A new study found that winners -- those who outperformed others on a competitive task -- acted more aggressively against the people they beat than the losers did against the victors.

MORE: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120229104746.htm

Who's in the Know? To a Preschooler, the Person Doing the Pointing

ScienceDaily -- If you want a preschooler to get the point, point. That's a lesson that can be drawn from a new study in Psychological Science, a journal published by the Association for Psychological Science. As part of their investigation of how small children know what other people know, the authors, Carolyn Palmquist and Vikram K. Jaswal of the University of Virginia, found they were able to mislead preschoolers with the simple introduction of a pointing gesture.

MORE: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120229155538.htm

Al Qaeda claims responsibility for deadly Yemen attack

(CNN) -- Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula announced its responsibility for the presidential palace attack last Saturday in Yemen's southern province of Hadramout.

MORE: http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/29/world/meast/al-qaeda-yemen-attack/index.html?hpt=imi_c2

What is a Leap Year?

YouTube Rally Gathering

Rock Beyond Belief

Pastafarians host atheist blogger, talk sex, religion

The Pastafarians at USC invited the speaker, Greta Christina, to Currell College Sunday night to highlight various themes dealing with religion, atheism and sexuality.

MORE: http://www.dailygamecock.com/news/item/3689-pastafarians-host-atheist-blogger-talk-sex-religion

Black Atheist Billboards Catch the Attention of Texans

Billboards featuring famous black American skeptics are part of a national Black History Month campaign by African Americans for Humanism. Like all billboards addressing religion, the response has been mixed.

MORE: http://blog.chron.com/believeitornot/2012/02/texans-respond-to-black-atheist-billboards/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+delicious%2Fgqlf+%28Christian+Headlines+Top+Headlines%29

Judge's dismissal of atheist's harassment claim against Muslim makes waves

(CNN) -- A protester who ridiculed the Muslim prophet Mohammed claims he was assaulted by a Muslim who was offended by the stunt, but a judge has sympathized with the alleged perpetrator, in a case that has drawn national attention.

MORE: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/02/28/judges-dismissal-of-atheists-harassment-claim-against-muslim-makes-waves/

See also...

Pennsylvania Judge Dismisses Case Against Muslim Accused Of Attacking Atheist Dressed As 'Zombie Muhammad' (VIDEO)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/27/pennsylvania-judge-musim-zombie-muhammad_n_1304764.html

Jessica "Evil Little Thing" Ahlquist on CNN

Interview with Jessica Ahlquist on CNN.

MORE: http://richarddawkins.net/videos/645104-jessica-evil-little-thing-ahlquist-on-cnn

Krystal Myers: School promotes religion and discrimination of atheist students

As a current student in government (at Lenoir City High School), I have realized that I feel that my rights as an atheist are severely limited when compared to other students who are Christians.

MORE: http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/feb/26/krystal-myers-school-promotes-religion-and-of/

See also...

Atheist Teen: Tennessee Schools Favor Christian Students
http://www.opposingviews.com/i/religion/christianity/atheist-teen-tennessee-schools-favor-christian-students

Trouble In Tennessee: Lenoir City Student Says School Officials Favor Christianity
http://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/trouble-in-tennessee-lenoir-city-student-says-school-officials-favor

Teaching Allah and Xenu in Indiana

Last month, the Indiana State Senate approved a bill that would allow public school science teachers to include religious explanations for the origin of life in their classes. If Senate Bill 89 is approved by the state's House its co-sponsor, Speaker of the House Dennis Kruse, hopes that this will open the door for the teaching of "creation-science" as a challenge to the theory of evolution, which he characterized as a "Johnny-come-lately" theory compared to the millennia-old creation story in Genesis: "I believe in creation and I believe it deserves to be taught in our public schools."

MORE: http://www.skepticblog.org/2012/02/28/teaching-allah-and-xenu-in-indiana/

Off-Key Carroll: Maryland County Sponsors Religious Right Constitution Course

Officials in Carroll County, Md., have managed to make something as seemingly innocent as a seminar on the Maryland Constitution into a serious church-state separation issue.

County employees were asked to attend a class today on the state constitution taught by an ultra-conservative Christian minister, David Whitney of the Institute on the Constitution.

MORE: http://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/off-key-carroll-maryland-county-sponsors-religious-right-constitution

Bad Breakfast: AU Tells Ky. Officials To Stop Promoting Religious Event

Government officials can and do sponsor and promote various public events. Job fairs, educational seminars and town hall meetings are just a few examples. When these events occur, government officials often go out of their way to make sure people know about them and urge them to attend.

Can they do the same with a prayer breakfast?

MORE: http://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/bad-breakfast-au-tells-ky-officials-to-stop-promoting-religious-event

NCPE Asks House Committee to Reject Vouchers in ESEA Reauthorization

Last Thursday, the House Education and Workforce Committee held a hearing on two of their Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) reauthorization bills, which include a number of troubling sections that would allow for voucher funding if passed. The National Coalition for Public Education (NCPE) sent a letter to all members of the Committee asking them to reject any provisions in the package of ESEA bills that would permit federally funded private school vouchers in the reauthorization bills.

MORE: http://www.au.org/blogs/legislative/ncpe-asks-house-committee-to-reject-vouchers-in-esea-reauthorization

Santa Monica to consider Nativity scene ban at park

A raging dispute in December between Christians and atheists has prompted the Santa Monica city attorney to recommend that the city discontinue its nearly six-decade tradition of allowing Nativity scenes in Palisades Park.

MORE: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/02/santa-monica-to-consider-nativity-scene-ban.html

See also...

Next Christmas both religious AND secular displays may be banned from city park
http://www.examiner.com/atheism-in-los-angeles/next-christmas-both-religious-and-secular-displays-may-be-banned-from-city-park

'Heathen' takes on hell - with humor

Growing up an atheist in the middle of the Bible Belt, Christine Schanda has always been sure plenty of people think she’s going to hell. There’s little she can do about it – but laugh.

So she took her experiences and the battles she has fought on behalf of her children and turned them into an eBook that faces hell with humor.

MORE: http://www.news-leader.com/article/20120225/LIFE07/302250021/Christina-Schanda-faith-book-atheist

Doubts about 'the Jesus Discovery'

Today, several experts specializing in 1st-century Christianity said the investigators failed to make their case on either level.

"In my assessment, there's zero percent chance that their theory is correct," said Andrew Vaughn, executive director of the American Schools of Oriental Research, or ASOR.

MORE: http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/28/10534008-doubts-about-the-jesus-discovery

Atheists criticise religion exam at student teacher college

AN ATHEIST GROUP has called on a teacher training college to remove notes from its curriculum which say that atheism produced "the worst horrors history has ever witnessed".

Atheist Ireland says the module on religion at Hibernia College is unfair on people who don't believe in god or who are not Roman Catholic.

MORE: http://www.thejournal.ie/atheists-criticise-religion-exam-at-student-teacher-college-368004-Feb2012/

Vatican told to pay taxes as Italy tackles budget crisis

End of controversial property tax breaks leaves the Pope facing €600m-a-year bill.

MORE: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/vatican-told-to-pay-taxes-as-italy-tackles-budget-crisis-6988938.html

Trouble in paradise: Maldives and Islamic extremism

At the Maldives' National Museum, smashed Buddhist statues are testament to the rise of Islamic extremism and Taliban-style intolerance in a country famous as a laid-back holiday destination.

MORE: http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/02/12/194095.html

Church 'does not own marriage'

The Church does not "own" marriage nor have the exclusive right to say who can marry, a government minister has said.

Equalities minister Lynne Featherstone said the government was entitled to introduce same-sex marriages as a "change for the better".

MORE: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17162442

Namibia’s 'Dog-headed Pig Monster' Spurs Witchcraft Debate

What residents in a rural African village report about at a mysterious white beast with a doglike head and backside resembling a large swine is frightening.  Not because the creature will harm them, but because superstition and accusations surrounding the beast could lead them to harm each other.

MORE: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/02/dog-headed-pig-monster/

Latest attack on Nigerian church kills 4

Many of those targeted were Christians, but police stations and mosques deemed "insufficiently Islamic" were also attacked.

MORE: http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/26/world/africa/nigeria-church-bombings/index.html?hpt=iaf_c2

Why Syria's Christians are angry

(CNN) -- In Syria, the Christians are angry. For eleven months, many of their leaders have stood firmly behind the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. However, Syria's new constitution explicitly says in Article 3 that the president of the country has to be a Muslim, thereby barring Christians from the right to run for the top post.

MORE: http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/28/opinion/moubayed-syria-christians/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

Afghan president condemns fatal bombing at military airfield

At least nine people were killed and 12 wounded in the early-morning explosion near the front gate of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force base at Jalalabad airport in eastern Afghanistan, according to Gen. Abdulla Hazim Stanikzai, the provincial police chief.
 
There were no NATO casualties. The Taliban insurgency said the attack was in retaliation for the Quran burning and said it hoped the attacks will continue "with the anger of the public."

MORE: http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/27/world/asia/afghanistan-burned-qurans/index.html?hpt=ias_c2

Official: Assailants attack buses in Pakistan, kill 18

The attack was unusual in both its scope and its sectarian nature in a region that normally does not see much militant activity.

MORE: http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/28/world/asia/pakistan-violence/index.html?hpt=wo_c2

Violence ripples across Iraq, leaves 8 dead

Baghdad (CNN) -- A series of attacks across the Iraqi capital left seven people dead and nine wounded Tuesday, while another attack killed a local leader and wounded his guard in Falluja.

MORE: http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/28/world/iraq-violence/index.html?hpt=wo_c2

'Space Chronicles': Why Exploring Space Still Matters

After decades of global dominance, America's space shuttle program ended last summer while countries like Russia, China and India continue to advance their programs. But astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, author of the new book Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier, says America's space program is at a critical moment. He thinks it's time for America to invest heavily in space exploration and research.

MORE: http://www.npr.org/2012/02/27/147351252/space-chronicles-why-exploring-space-still-matters

What Were the Consequences of Early Human & Neanderthal Interbreeding?

Early modern humans left Africa about 80,000 to 50,000 years ago. The question has long been whether the physically stronger Neanderthals, who possessed the gene for language and may have played the flute, were a separate species or could have interbred with modern humans. The answer is yes, the two lived in close association.

MORE: http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2012/02/what-was-the-impact-of-early-human-neanderthal-interbreeding.html

See also...

European Neanderthals Were On the Verge of Extinction Even Before the Arrival of Modern Humans
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120225110942.htm

Theory of the 'Rotting' Y Chromosome Dealt a Fatal Blow
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120222154359.htm

New evidence suggests Stone Age hunters from Europe discovered America
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/new-evidence-suggests-stone-age-hunters-from-europe-discovered-america-7447152.html

Classic Maya Civilization Collapse Related to Modest Rainfall Reductions, Research Suggests
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120223142455.htm

Chemical Clues On Formation of Planetary Systems: Earth 'Siblings' Can Be Different

ScienceDaily -- An international team of researchers, with the participation of IAC astronomers, has discovered that the chemical structure of Earth-like planets can be very different from the bulk composition of Earth.

This may have a dramatic effect on the existence and formation of the biospheres and life on Earth-like planets.

MORE: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120223132902.htm

See also...

Searching for the First Stars
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120228185830.htm

Dwarf Galaxy Questions Current Galaxy Formation Models
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120227111238.htm

The Many Moods of Titan
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120224151341.htm

ARONRA, TF00T n ZOMGitsCRISS, doin the REASON RALLY!

Do You Believe in a Secular America? Ten Point Vision contest Winner

Coalition of Organizations Submits Comments on Proposed Faith-Based Regulations

The regulations proposed by the Department of Commerce would remove current restrictions that bar the federal government from releasing federally funded property to private organizations if it will, at any point, be used for inherently religious activities. Our comments urged the Commerce Department to reject the proposed rule. The comments focused on the fact that the current restrictions on using federally funded property for religious purposes are mandated by Supreme Court precedent (both Tilton and Nyquist). And, we expressed our disappointment that the current Administration would propose abolishing constitutional protections that even the Bush Administration deemed necessary. In addition, we objected to the proposed rule because it conflicts with the process and "fundamental principles" established by Obama's Executive Order 13,559. In particular, the proposed rule would ignore the mandate to "promote uniformity in agencies' policies that have implications for faith-based and other neighborhoods organizations and in related guidance."

MORE: http://www.au.org/blogs/legislative/coalition-of-organizations-submits-comments-on-proposed-faith-based-regulations

Muslim Admits to Attacking Atheist; Muslim Judge Dismisses Case

The Pennsylvania State Director of American Atheists, Inc., Mr. Ernest Perce V., was assaulted by a Muslim while participating in a Halloween parade. Along with a Zombie Pope, Ernest was costumed as Zombie Muhammad. The assault was caught on video, the Muslim man admitted to his crime and charges were filed in what should have been an open-and-shut case. That's not what happened, though.

MORE: http://www.opposingviews.com/i/society/crime/muslim-admits-attacking-atheist-muslim-judge-dismisses-case

See also...

Atheist Gets Trial By Quasi-Sharia From American Muslim Judge (with video coverage)
http://amyalkon.mensnewsdaily.com/2012/02/23/atheist-gets-trial-by-quasi-sharia-from-american-muslim-judge/

Muslim Admits to Attacking Atheist; Muslim Judge Dismisses Case
http://www.aina.org/news/20120223134846.htm

Atheist Leader Cites Founding Fathers While Defending Demand for Removal of 10 Commandments in N.C.

Earlier this month, The Blaze told you about a drama unfolding between the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), an atheist and freethinking group based in Wisconsin, and a local government in North Carolina. The non-believing group is demanding that officials remove a Ten Commandments plaque that is hanging in the Newland Town Hall.

MORE: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/atheist-leader-cites-founding-fathers-while-defending-demand-for-removal-of-10-commandments-in-n-c/

Groups on the Left and Right Agree: Florida School Prayer Bill is Unconstitutional

Florida's public school prayer bill, SB 98, has passed the full Senate and the House Judiciary Committee and moves to the House floor for a vote as soon as today.

MORE: http://www.au.org/blogs/legislative/groups-on-the-left-and-right-agree-florida-school-prayer-bill-is-unconstitutional

Creationism Kicked: Indiana Bill Killed Over Fears Of Costly Litigation

Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma has decided to table legislation that would have mandated the teaching of “creation science” in public schools. The bill had passed the Indiana Senate, albeit with a modification requiring the teaching of other theories on the origins of life on Earth from several religions, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Scientology. 

The problem was that no matter how Indiana lawmakers tried to modify the bill, there was no getting around the fact that it was blatantly unconstitutional.

MORE: http://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/creationism-kicked-indiana-bill-killed-over-fears-of-costly-litigation

Atheist student's editorial pulled from paper

The editorial titled "No Rights: The Life of an Atheist" accuses administrators, teachers and coaches of promoting their Christian beliefs with students.
 
Krystal Myers told the Knoxville News Sentinel that as captain of the swim team she felt compelled to participate in Christian prayers before swim meets (http://bit.ly/xqEXP6 ). She also complained that school board meetings begin with prayers and that teachers often use Bible verses for a "Quote of the day" they write on classroom boards.

MORE: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/article/Atheist-student-s-editorial-pulled-from-paper-3355802.php

See also...

Atheist Teen Discriminated Against by Tennessee High School
http://news.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474981137754

Atheist student's editorial pulled from paper
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/feb/23/atheist-students-editorial-pulled-from-paper/

Prayer banner: Atheist teen speaks out, lands $44,000 scholarship

A Rhode Island teen is learning that it pays to deny the existence of God: Prominent atheists plan to present Jessica Ahlquist with a scholarship of at least $44,000 -- and possibly more.

MORE: http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-nn-na-jessica-ahlquist-atheist-teen-wins-40000-scholarship-20120222,0,6201324.story

See also...

Teen atheist gets $40K scholarship (with short video)
http://www.wpri.com/dpp/news/local_news/west_bay/teen-atheist-jessica-ahlquist-gets-40k-scholarship

Blacks say atheists were unseen civil rights heroes

"So often you hear about religious people involved in the civil rights movement, and as well you should, but there were also humanists," said Norm R. Allen Jr. of the Institute for Science and Human Values, a humanist organization based in Tampa, Fla.

MORE: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/blacks-say-atheists-were-unseen-civil-rights-heroes/2012/02/22/gIQAfLklTR_story.html

See also...

For atheists of color, 'coming out' can be painful
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/for-atheists-of-color-coming-out-can-be-painful/2012/02/23/gIQAVXqHWR_story.html

The Journey to Unbelief

Science is not about absolute immutable truth but is all about building levels of confidence in ideas and expressing them in terms of theories or laws. Quite literally, science asks and answers what you can bet on a theory. A few dollars? Human lives? Every day, we bet thousands of lives on the laws of aerodynamics and we have bet the existence of our society on the theory of electromagnetism. How did we come to have such towering confidence in a theory that was developed purely from human curiosity and is only slightly older than the theory of evolution?

MORE: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nicholas-warner/atheism-deepak-chopra_b_1296771.html

See also...

How To Have An Atheist Wedding Ceremony
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anne-naylor/how-to-have-an-atheist-we_b_1285840.html

Wasn’t Atheism Responsible for Most 20th Century Atrocities?
http://www.dailynexus.com/2012-02-22/wasnt-atheism-responsible-20th-century-atrocities/

Earlier...

What Nonbelievers Believe
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/our-humanity-naturally/201202/what-nonbelievers-believe

Mormons baptize Holocaust victim Anne Frank posthumously, says report

Huffington Post report follows revelation that parents of Holocaust survivor and Jewish rights advocate Simon Wiesenthal were posthumously baptized, along with Mitt Romney's atheist father-in-law Edward Davies.

MORE: http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/mormons-baptize-holocaust-victim-anne-frank-posthumously-says-report-1.414269

Seven states sue government over contraceptives mandate

Washington (CNN) -- Seven states on Thursday filed a lawsuit against the federal government requirement that religious employers offer health insurance coverage that includes contraceptives and other birth control services.
 
The issue has become a political flashpoint in a presidential election year, and the lawsuit by attorneys general from Nebraska, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Florida and Texas was certain to keep it prominent.

MORE: http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/23/us/contraceptives-lawsuit/index.html?hpt=us_c2

Federal judge rules pharmacists cannot be forced to sell 'Plan B' morning-after pill

TACOMA-- A federal judge ruled Wednesday that pharmacists cannot be forced by state rules to sell "morning-after" contraceptives, also known as Plan B.

MORE: http://www.q13fox.com/news/kcpq-plan-b-case-20111128,0,2657907.story?hpt=us_bn7

Virginia lawmakers halt anti-abortion 'personhood' bill

PORTSMOUTH, Virginia -- Virginia lawmakers on Thursday shelved until next year a measure ultimately aimed at outlawing abortion by granting individual rights to an embryo from the moment of conception.

MORE: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46504390/ns/us_news/

Maryland Senate approves same-sex marriage bill

(CNN) -- The Maryland Senate voted Thursday evening to legalize same-sex marriage, the latest sign of growing national recognition of such unions among gay and lesbian couples.

MORE: http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/23/us/maryland-same-sex-marriage/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Amol Rajan: A brutal price still paid for daring to challenge faith

Proof, if proof were needed, that "militant secularism" isn't having such a great time of it in modern Britain has been in plentiful supply over the past week, during which there has been a sustained and vicious assault in our media on one of our most distinguished academics. Professor Richard Dawkins (FRS, FRSL) presumably personifies militant secularism, and has been made to suffer for it.

MORE: http://www.independent.co.uk/hei-fi/views/amol-rajan-a-brutal-price-still-paid-for-daring-to-challenge-faith-7240100.html

Dozens killed in wave of attacks across Iraq

(CNN) -- A series of explosions and shootings killed 44 people and injured more than 200 in Baghdad and elsewhere Thursday morning, Iraqi police said.

--snip--

Iraq's Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish leaders have squared off in recent months after an arrest warrant was issued for Tariq al-Hashimi, the country's Sunni vice president.

MORE: http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/23/world/meast/iraq-violence/index.html?hpt=wo_c2

Obama apologizes to Afghanistan for Quran burning

Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Afghan rage over the burning of Qurans by NATO troops continued Thursday even after a President Barack Obama apologized for the "error."

MORE: http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/23/world/asia/afghanistan-burned-qurans/index.html?hpt=wo_c2

See also...

2 U.S. troops killed in Koran backlash
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505263_162-57383420/2-u.s-troops-killed-in-koran-backlash/?tag=stack

Afghan's Karzai demands public trial for Quran burners
http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/23/10488437-afghans-karzai-demands-public-trial-for-quran-burners

Venus, Jupiter, moon offer show for skywatchers

(Space.com)  Anyone out under the stars in the early evening lately likely cannot help but notice two brilliant objects dominating the western sky: the planets Venus and Jupiter.

MORE: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-57383925/venus-jupiter-moon-offer-show-for-skywatchers/?tag=cbsnewsSectionContent.10

BREAKING NEWS: Error Undoes Faster-Than-Light Neutrino Results

According to sources familiar with the experiment, the 60 nanoseconds discrepancy appears to come from a bad connection between a fiber optic cable that connects to the GPS receiver used to correct the timing of the neutrinos' flight and an electronic card in a computer. After tightening the connection and then measuring the time it takes data to travel the length of the fiber, researchers found that the data arrive 60 nanoseconds earlier than assumed. Since this time is subtracted from the overall time of flight, it appears to explain the early arrival of the neutrinos. New data, however, will be needed to confirm this hypothesis.

MORE: http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2012/02/breaking-news-error-undoes-faster.html?ref=hp

See also...

OPERA Experiment Reports Anomaly in Flight Time of Neutrinos from CERN to Gran Sasso
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120223081231.htm

New tests will tell the tale on faster-than-light neutrinos
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46495869/ns/technology_and_science-science/

On Scientology (As Told By an Ex-Scientologist)

I sought out Scientology not to completely step away from my fundamentalist past, but to add to it. It started with a personality test. I then made an error that many people make when they are about to step into Scamville: I distrusted my intuition, and the facts, and believed the test, a test that showed I needed help.  Scientology help.

MORE: http://www.americanhumanist.org/HNN/details/2012-02-on-scientology-as-told-by-an-ex-scientologist

Brother Sam: The Reason Rally

Catholic Diocese weighs in on Banner decision and atheism

In an Op. Ed printed by the Rhode Island Catholic Newspaper Bishop Tobin questioned what it was like to be an atheist. He questioned what it would be like to live without faith in God, "I said it must be a very sad, in some ways a sterile joyless kind of existence." Tobin said he is not going after the atheist he just "doesn't understand it."

MORE: http://630wpro.com/Article.asp?id=2399121&spid=37719

Midstate judge rules against atheist attacked in costume

It almost sounds like the makings of a joke - an atheist, a muslim and the Mechanicsburg Halloween parade. But non-believers aren't laughing about an attack and insist what's really frightening is the way a midstate judge ruled on it.

MORE: http://www.abc27.com/story/16986440/midstate-judge-rules-against-attack-on-atheist-in-costume

Texas Toast: El Paso Church Loses Legal Case Over Political Intervention

Brown's church and ministry essentially organized and coordinated the recall campaign, taking the lead role in circulating petitions. The church gathered enough signatures to put the matter on the ballot, but Brown overlooked one thing: Texas election laws prohibit corporations (which includes non-profit groups) from intervening in elections.

MORE: http://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/texas-toast-el-paso-church-loses-legal-case-over-political-intervention

Acton Family Sues Over 'Under God' In Pledge

This issue has come up before in other courts around the country. Attorney David Niose, who is representing the Acton family, is taking a new legal approach that could change the way the pledge is recited across Massachusetts.

MORE: http://radioboston.wbur.org/2012/02/20/acton-pledge-lawsuit

Gay-marriage opponents seek Prop. 8 review

SAN FRANCISCO - Backers of California's same-sex marriage ban said Tuesday they will ask a federal appeals court in San Francisco to review the split decision by three of its judges that struck down the voter-approved law.

--snip--

The move means same-sex marriages will remain on hold at least until the 9th Circuit decides to accept or reject the rehearing petition.

MORE: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57382065/gay-marriage-opponents-seek-prop-8-review/?tag=cbsnewsSectionContent.1

Mynga Futrell: The Reason Rally

Babies Know What's Fair

ScienceDaily -- "That's not fair!" It's a common playground complaint.

But how early do children acquire this sense of fairness? Before they're 2, says a new study. "We found that 19- and 21-month-old infants have a general expectation of fairness, and they can apply it appropriately to different situations," says University of Illinois psychology graduate student Stephanie Sloane, who conducted the study with UI's Renée Baillargeon and David Premack of the University of Pennsylvania.

--snip--

This innate moral sense might also explain the power of early trauma, Sloane says. Aside from fairness, research has shown that small children expect people not to harm others and to help others in distress. "If they witness events that violate those expectations in extreme ways, it could explain why these events have such negative and enduring consequences."

MORE: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120218134639.htm

Earlier...

The Moral Life of Babies

A growing body of evidence, though, suggests that humans do have a rudimentary moral sense from the very start of life. With the help of well-designed experiments, you can see glimmers of moral thought, moral judgment and moral feeling even in the first year of life. Some sense of good and evil seems to be bred in the bone. Which is not to say that parents are wrong to concern themselves with moral development or that their interactions with their children are a waste of time. Socialization is critically important. But this is not because babies and young children lack a sense of right and wrong; it’s because the sense of right and wrong that they naturally possess diverges in important ways from what we adults would want it to be. 

MORE: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/09/magazine/09babies-t.html?pagewanted=all

Atheists raise $40,000 for scholarship fund for student in RI school prayer banner dispute

CRANSTON, R.I. -- A national association that says there's no proof for the existence of God is managing a scholarship fund set up for a teenage atheist at the center of a dispute over a prayer banner at a Rhode Island school.

The American Humanist Association says 16-year-old Jessica Ahlquist was targeted with online threats after she challenged the constitutionality of the display at Cranston High School West. It says she stood up against her critics "with class and style."

MORE: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/atheists-raise-40000-for-scholarship-fund-for-student-in-ri-school-prayer-banner-dispute/2012/02/18/gIQAS665LR_story.html

Virginia's "personhood" bill is latest front in the culture war

Richmond, Virginia (CNN) -- In the Virginia House of Delegates, Republican Robert Marshall is a longtime abortion opponent who has tried repeatedly to pass legislation in his state that would give rights to the unborn.
 
This year, on his third try, Marshall just might get his wish, and that has advocates for women's reproductive rights concerned.

MORE: http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/19/politics/virginia-personhood-bill/index.html?hpt=us_c2

Nepalese woman accused of witchcraft and burned alive

Kathmandu, Nepal (CNN) -- A 40-year-old mother of two was burned alive in central Nepal after she was accused of being a witch, police said Saturday.

--snip--

She was beaten with sticks and rocks before being doused with kerosene and set afire, an attack witnessed by her 9-year-old daughter, according to the local police report.

MORE: http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/18/world/asia/nepal-witchcraft-burning/index.html?hpt=wo_c2

15 killed in suicide blast targeting Baghdad police academy

Baghdad (CNN) -- Violent overnight attacks in Iraq killed nearly two dozen people Sunday.

--snip--

While nobody claimed responsibility, officials said they believed al Qaeda in Iraq was behind the attack.

--snip--

Among the victims were members of awakening councils -- groups mainly made up of Sunni Arab fighters who turned against al Qaeda.

MORE: http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/19/world/meast/iraq-violence/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

See also...

Official: Death toll climbs to 34 in Pakistan blast
http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/17/world/asia/pakistan-attack/index.html?hpt=wo_c2

Sarah Moglia: The Reason Rally

The Reason Rally Is Only Six Weeks Away!

This event is for the movement, for our country, and quite literally, for our freedom. It's getting exciting! Thank you ALL for your help in making this epic event a success for all involved.

MORE: http://richarddawkins.net/articles/644990-the-reason-rally-is-only-six-weeks-away

'We Are Stronger': Atheists To Hold Massive Rally On National Mall Next Month

WASHINGTON, D.C. (CBSDC) – Thousands of atheists are expected to attend the Reason Rally next month in Washington, D.C., an event that organizers hope will unify a large part of the secular community.

MORE: http://washington.cbslocal.com/2012/02/17/we-are-stronger-atheists-to-hold-massive-rally-on-national-mall-next-month/

Freethought Movement Raising $1 Million to Fight Cancer

ATLANTA, Ga. (2/16/2012) -- Foundation Beyond Belief, a nontheist charity, aims to raise $1 million for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) this year through its popular Light The Night Walk fundraising program.

MORE: http://richarddawkins.net/articles/644992-freethought-movement-raising-1-million-to-fight-cancer

Utah pays $388,000 to atheist group lawyer to resolve trooper memorial cross case

Utah paid $1 to settle the case, but the Utah Attorney General’s office confirmed Friday it is paying about $388,000 in fees to a Salt Lake City lawyer who filed the case for the atheists.

MORE: http://www.rgj.com/article/20120217/NEWS13/302170052/Utah-pays-388-000-atheist-group-lawyer-resolve-trooper-memorial-cross-case

Rhode Island public school agrees to remove prayer

(Reuters) - A Rhode Island school board voted on Thursday to comply with a federal court order to remove a prayer banner that has been displayed in a public high school for nearly a half century, saying the cash-strapped district cannot face a costly appeal.

MORE: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/17/us-prayer-banner-rhodeisland-idUSTRE81G07U20120217

See also...

Rhode Island public school committee votes not to appeal prayer banner case
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/02/16/rhode-island-public-school-committee-votes-not-to-appeal-prayer-banner-case/

Teen Atheist 'Thrilled' RI School Won't Appeal Decision To Remove Prayer Banner
http://connecticut.cbslocal.com/2012/02/17/teen-atheist-thrilled-ri-school-wont-appeal-decision-to-remove-prayer-banner/

Rash Of Reasonableness: R.I. School Board Ends Legal Fight Over Prayer Banner
http://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/rash-of-reasonableness-ri-school-board-ends-legal-fight-over-prayer-banner

ACLU, atheist teen cheer decision to remove school prayer banner
http://dailycaller.com/2012/02/17/aclu-atheist-teen-cheer-decision-to-remove-school-prayer-banner/

Earlier...

Humanists Applaud Cranston School Banner Decision To Not Appeal Federal Court Ruling
http://freethoughtactionblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/humanists-applaud-cranston-school.html 

Answers ahead for physics' puzzles

This year, particle physicists are aiming to get definitive answers to the questions that consumed them last year: Does the Higgs boson, potentially the final fundamental piece of the Standard Model puzzle, actually exist? Could there be new physics beyond the Standard Model, which is arguably the most successful scientific theory of the 20th century?

And just as importantly, can neutrinos really fly faster than light, as findings from Italian lab suggested last year?

MORE: http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/17/10436808-answers-ahead-for-physics-puzzles

See also...

Science Nation Army
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoLdL1YtRlc&feature=player_embedded#!

Grief without God is a challenge for nonbelievers

Hensler is an atheist, so when people described her three-month-old son Jude as being an angel, or part of God's plan, or "in a better place" than in his mother's arms, the pain sometimes overwhelmed her.

"We are facing an absolute loss, so when someone projects onto that the idea that we are going to be able to hold our children again or communicate with them, it is essentially dismissing the magnitude of that loss."

MORE: http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/story/2012-02-17/grief-mourning-religion-god-atheists/53136258/1

See also...

How religious are you? (WSJ Online Poll)
http://online.wsj.com/community/groups/question-day-229/topics/how-religious-you

Maryland House passes gay marriage bill

(AP)  ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Maryland appears ready to become one of a handful of states in the U.S. to legalize gay marriage after the bill to allow it passed a long-standing hurdle in the Maryland House of Delegates on Friday.

MORE: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57380677/maryland-house-passes-gay-marriage-bill/?tag=stack

N.J. governor vetoes same-sex marriage bill

(CNN) -- New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Friday vetoed a bill that would allow same-sex couples to wed, setting up a confrontation with a Democrat-controlled legislature that has vowed to eventually get the bill into law.

MORE: http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/17/us/new-jersey-same-sex-veto/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

See also...

Contentious "Don't Say Gay" bill passes subcommittee
http://www.wmctv.com/story/16953494/contentious-dont-say-gay-bill-passes-subcommittee?hpt=us_bn5

Authorities: Suicide attack on U.S. Capitol foiled

Washington (CNN) -- A 29-year-old man from Morocco was arrested Friday and charged with attempting to bomb the U.S. Capitol building in a suicide attack, authorities said.

--snip--

In January 2011, a confidential source reported to the FBI that El Khalifi met with other individuals at a residence in Arlington, Virginia. A person there produced what appeared to be weapons and El Khalifi "expressed agreement with a statement by this individual that the 'war on terrorism' was a 'war on Muslim,' and said that the group needed to be ready for war," the affidavit read.

MORE: http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/17/justice/us-dc-security-threat-arrest/index.html?hpt=hp_bn3

Councils win prayer 'rights' as ministers fast track Localism Act powers

The government is activating a power it says will allow councils in England to hold prayers at meetings.

Communities secretary Eric Pickles says he is "effectively reversing" the High Court's "illiberal ruling" that a Devon council's prayers were unlawful.

MORE: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17082136

See also...

Atheist's complaint led to a clarification of law
http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/Atheist-s-complaint-led-clarification-law/story-15255752-detail/story.html

Appeal over council prayers ruling
http://www.ilkestonadvertiser.co.uk/news/national/appeal_over_council_prayers_ruling_1_4257422

Council chairman 'disgusted' by ban on prayers at meetings
http://www.granthamjournal.co.uk/news/local/council_chairman_disgusted_by_ban_on_prayers_at_meetings_1_3531949

Christians should unite with atheists to defend secularism
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/the-lay-scientist/2012/feb/17/1

Faith rules 'end at temple door', equalities chief says
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17074114

Civic life and law must bind us, not ritual and religion
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/feb/16/civic-life-law-ritual-religion?INTCMP=SRCH

Atheist Ricky Gervais would fight for people's right to have religion, even though their beliefs are wrong

Actor and comedian Ricky Gervais was interviewed this month on CNN's Piers Morgan Show about his atheism and views on religion.
 
"When someone's arguing with me that the earth is 5,000 years old, yes, I'm smiling," he told Morgan about his Twitter debates.  "Of course, I'm smiling.  The fundamentalist view of the creation of the earth is rather like an episode of the Flinstones, so I have to laugh."

MORE: http://www.goddiscussion.com/92178/atheist-ricky-gervais-would-fight-for-peoples-right-to-have-religion-even-though-their-beliefs-are-wrong/

August Brunsman: Reason Rally

Atheists bill big names for 'coming out' party in Capitol

The National Mall in Washington has hosted its share of rallies -- some massive and iconic, like the famed civil rights march of 1963, which featured Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. Nonetheless, a scrappy coalition of atheists say they will make history on the Mall next month by pulling together what they say is the first nationwide celebration of secular values -- what one of the organizers called a "Woodstock for non-belief."

MORE: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/16/10429346-atheists-bill-big-names-for-coming-out-party-in-capitol

Dawkins Foundation care packages go to atheists in foxholes

Over the past several months, the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science has partnered with the Military Association of Atheists & Freethinkers (MAAF) to send over 150 care packages to military personnel around the world. These packages have gone from Japan to Afghanistan and Iraq. The Richard Dawkins Foundation, through its existing store has provided increased efficiencies to allow more packages to be sent out with the same level of funding.

MORE: http://blog.militaryatheists.org/2012/02/dawkins-foundation-care-packages-go-to-atheists-in-foxholes/

Humanists Applaud Cranston School Banner Decision To Not Appeal Federal Court Ruling

(Washington, DC -- Feb. 16, 2012) -- Humanists are applauding the 5-2 decision tonight by the Cranston School Committee in Rhode Island to not pursue an appeal of a federal judge’s ruling to immediately remove a prayer banner from the Cranston West High School auditorium wall.

MORE: http://www.americanhumanist.org/news/details/2012-02-humanists-applaud-cranston-school-banner-decision-to

See also...

Cranston votes not to appeal prayer banner case
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2017527881_apusschoolprayerbanner.html

Rhode Island school braces for prayer banner debate
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-prayer-banner-rhodeislandtre81f1x4-20120216,0,3365256.story

Rhode Island school panel to consider appeal of prayer banner
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-prayer-banner-rhodeislandtre81f1f4-20120216,0,6389096.story

Brown County Board prayer will continue

GREEN BAY -- Acknowledging its opposition, heads were bowed and hands were together as Brown County supervisors opened their Wednesday night meeting as they always do.
 
"We're not going to end the prayer at the beginning of the meeting," said chairman Guy Zima.

MORE: http://www.fox11online.com/dpp/news/local/green_bay/brown-county-board-prayer-will-continue?hpt=us_bn6

Veto promised on same-sex marriage bill in NJ

(CNN) - New Jersey lawmakers have passed a bill that would provide same-sex couples the right to wed - a move put forth in defiance of the state's Republican governor, who's vowed to veto the measure and has instead called for a referendum to settle the issue.

MORE: http://inamerica.blogs.cnn.com/2012/02/16/new-jersey-to-vote-on-same-sex-marriage/?hpt=us_c2

See also...

NJ lawmakers pass gay marriage bill
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46411935/ns/us_news-life/

Study: Interracial marriage, acceptance growing

(CNN) -- Forty-five years after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a ban on interracial marriage, the rate of marriage across racial and ethnic lines in the United States is on the rise, according to a new study released Thursday.
 
And while such "intermarriages" continue to grow, so too does public acceptance of such unions, according to the study by the Pew Research Center's Social and Demographic Trends project.

MORE: http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/16/us/interracial-marriage/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Atheists Claim They Make Better Lovers

A new billboard unveiled this week by an atheist activist group in Orange County, Calif. makes the claim that "Atheists make better lovers."

MORE: http://www.christianpost.com/news/atheists-claim-they-make-better-lovers-69612/

New Theory of Moral Behavior May Explain Recent Ethical Lapses in Banking Industry

For decades, sociologists have posited that individual behavior results from cultural expectations in the situation about how to act. In a study, "A Theory of the Self for the Sociology of Morality," published in the current issue of the journal American Sociological Review, Jan E. Stets of UC Riverside and Michael J. Carter of CSU Northridge found that how individuals see themselves in moral terms is also an important motivator of behavior.

MORE: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120216094730.htm

Underwear Bomber Abdulmutallab: "Proud to Kill in the Name of God"

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who tried to bring down Northwest flight 253 over Detroit on Christmas Day 2009 with an underwear bomb, said he was was "proud to kill in the name of God" before he was sentenced to multiple life sentences today in a Detroit courtroom.

MORE: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/underwear-bomber-abdulmutallab-sentenced-life-prison/story?id=15681576

Where data meet diction: Science and sci-fi's dialogue

When the U.S.S. Enterprise or Millennium Falcon glides by the camera, we take an odd comfort in the signature "whoosh" sound that follows.
 
Our friend, the stickler for scientific fact, usually points out that sound can never be possible in space. But don't let the same be said for warp drive and tricorders, or even Starfleet Academy and the "Force." Science and science fiction follow an intricate dance that toes the line between fantasy and fact. It is, in fact, a love story -- a partnership full of symbiosis and reciprocity.

MORE: http://geekout.blogs.cnn.com/2012/02/15/where-data-meet-diction-science-and-sci-fis-dialogue/?hpt=hp_bn8

Secularism v Religion in national affairs - post-Warsi discussion on BBC Newsnight 14/2/12

Richard Dawkins, Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali and Ruth Gledhill discuss secularism in the UK.

VIDEO: http://richarddawkins.net/videos/644963-secularism-v-religion-in-national-affairs-post-warsi-discussion-on-bbc-newsnight-14-2-12

Pastor, wife accused of killing 'possessed' children

Seoul (CNN) -- A pastor and his wife are in custody accused of killing three of their children by starving them to ward off evil spirits, police in South Korea said Wednesday.

MORE: http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/15/world/asia/south-korea-pastor-killings/index.html?hpt=ias_c2

PZ Myers: Reason Rally

Oral Arguments Presented in Massachusetts Case Challenging "Under God" in Pledge of Allegiance

(Washington, DC, February 14, 2012)--Yesterday afternoon the American Humanist Association argued in Massachusetts Superior Court that the state's constitutional equal rights amendment should bar the practice of public schools conducting a daily flag-salute exercise that utilizes the version of the Pledge of Allegiance that includes the phrase "under God."

This case, Jane Doe, et. als. v. Acton-Boxborough Regional School District et al, is particularly unique and important because the state's constitutional equal protection guarantees are the basis of the suit, not the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment. This same strategy could be replicated in other jurisdictions.

MORE: http://www.americanhumanist.org/news/details/2012-02-oral-arguments-presented-in-massachusetts-case-chall

Physicists find dark matter: It's everywhere

A group of Japanese physicists has revealed where dark matter is -- though not what it is -- for the first time. As it turns out, the mysterious substance is almost everywhere, drooping throughout intergalactic space to form an all-encompassing web of matter.

MORE: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46387769/ns/technology_and_science-space/

See also...

The sun sends Earth a valentine
http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/14/10409895-the-sun-sends-earth-a-valentine

Atheists Unveil Valentine's Day-Tinged Billboard

You don't really need an occasion for Backyard Skeptics to unveil a provocative billboard, but the Fountain Valley-based group of atheists and assorted non-believers does have a special Valentine's Day version going up in Westminster with this message:

"Atheists make better lovers--after all, no one is watching."
 
MORE: http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/2012/02/valentines_day_atheist_billboa.php