Life Without Frank...

Sam Harris / Christopher Hitchens vs 2 Rabbi’s in Los Angeles February 15th

2011-01-22T20:26:00.001-08:00

So Christopher Hitchens is FINALLY coming back to LA. VIP tickets are already sold out, but it looks like there are plenty of open seating still available.

From Sam Harris…

Upcoming Debate

Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens will debate Rabbi David Wolpe and Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson on February 15th in Los Angeles.

The topic: "Is there an afterlife?"

Tickets Available here.

James Randi & Michael Shermer on the Stossel Show (Fox)

2011-01-14T07:38:00.000-08:00

http://www.hulu.com/watch/205277/stossel-thu-dec-16-2010

Free Podcast: “Militant Modern Atheism”

2010-11-07T11:46:00.001-08:00

Snagged from @philosophybites

The 2010 Society for Applied Philosophy Annual Lecture “Militant Modern Atheism” was delivered by Professor Philip Kitcher (John Dewey Professor of Philosophy and James R. Barker Professor of Contemporary Civilization, Columbia University) on Friday 19 March 2010. In this podcast Professor Kitcher discusses his ideas with the Rt Revd Lord Richard Harries, former Bishop of Oxford, and Professor David Archard, Chair of the Society for Applied Philosophy. Listen to the SAP podcast of the interview with Professor Kitcher (34 minutes and 34 seconds; 39.73Mb).

Richard Dawkins on Patt Morrison Tomorrow

2010-10-06T19:06:00.001-07:00

Richard Dawkins is tomorrow’s guest on my favorite talk radio show Patt Morrison. You can listen on 89.3 at 2:00 tomorrow or you can listen online here. The show will also be available for download on Friday at the KPCC website.

2:30 – 2:58:30

Richard Dawkins and The Greatest Show on Earth

Genesis 1:21

And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

In an August 2005 Gallup poll, 58% of the public said that creationism was definitely or probably true as an explanation for the origin and development of life – Richard Dawkins is not part of that 58%. The self proclaimed militant atheist and author of, The God Delusion believes that intelligent design is merely creationism re-christened and that logic would assert that any designer capable of designing something really complex must thus, be more complex himself. In his latest book, The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution, Dawkins goes from homo erectus to guppies (not in that order) using science to prove his point: there is no God.

Guests:

Richard Dawkins, evolutionary biologist and author of The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution

IN STUDIO

For Skepticat…

2010-07-06T18:50:00.001-07:00

Not as cool as the last one but pretty damn close, I love the one that looks like it’s smoking. The video is from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.

Snagged from Zooillogix

I just don’t understand…Christopher Hitchens

2010-07-05T21:46:00.001-07:00

When I turned 16 I started asking my doctor to authorize mammograms for me. He said that I was a little young and I didn’t really need them but he indulged my request anyway. He knew that my grandmother, both aunts and my mother had all had breast cancer and that it was only a matter of time before it was my turn. So far I have had 5 biopsies, the first at age 29 and so far only one requiring radiation treatment for pre-cancer cells. Any of these, if left unchecked, could have become breast cancer and the results would have been much, much worse.

I wonder if Christopher Hitchens ever thought about the fact that he should have been being checked for esophageal cancer all this time given his heavy smoking and drinking and the fact that the same type of cancer contributed to his own fathers death…

Having never spent a day in bed in his life, he went very speedily from diagnosis of an inoperable cancer in his esophagus to a hammer-blow heart attack that gave his hostess, his sister Ena, barely time to rush to his side.

- Excerpt from Hitch-22 The Commander Chapter

I have a friend whose grandfather and father both died of prostate cancer but he won’t get checked for it…I just don’t understand. Is this a male thing?

Mind Over Mass Media – Steven Pinker

2010-06-27T10:45:00.001-07:00

From the latest edition of Edge

New forms of media have always caused moral panics: the printing press, newspapers, paperbacks and television were all once denounced as threats to their consumers' brainpower and moral fiber.

So too with electronic technologies. PowerPoint, we're told, is reducing discourse to bullet points. Search engines lower our intelligence, encouraging us to skim on the surface of knowledge rather than dive to its depths. Twitter is shrinking our attention spans.

But such panics often fail basic reality checks. When comic books were accused of turning juveniles into delinquents in the 1950s, crime was falling to record lows, just as the denunciations of video games in the 1990s coincided with the great American crime decline. The decades of television, transistor radios and rock videos were also decades in which I.Q. scores rose continuously.

Read the rest of the article here…

Richard Dawkins interview with Steven Pinker (part 1 of 7)

CFI LA and Orange County Event July 18th – God Needs Therapy

2010-06-27T08:57:00.001-07:00

CFI-L.A.'s FEED YOUR BRAIN Lecture Series presents

God Needs Therapy

Presented by Tom Quinn

Sunday, July 18
11 a.m. in Hollywood; 4:30 p.m. in Costa Mesa*

Yahweh is a mess. He wants love but is full of wrath; demands obedience but comes up with humans; and insists that history go his way but keeps starting over with Eden, the Flood, Babel, Sodom and Gomorrah, Egypt, and Canaan. Emmy-nominated writer/producer Tom Quinn will explore how this god came to be and he has psychologically evolved over the centuries from a lonely fertility god into the all-powerful and all-knowing, if slightly confused, deity we know today.

The stories about God reveal a colorful literary character who changes, grows, learns, and occasionally screws up. He is driven, wise, demanding, rather an egotist, often short-sighted, and forgiving. Maybe it's because the god of the Bible is actually a hybrid of two earlier gods: El and Yahwah. Each had their own personality, priesthood, and agenda, and each can still be found in the pages of the Old Testament, which was written to fuse them into a single, hybrid deity. His personality is a tug of war between these two earlier deities.

Quinn has written and produced programs for the Discovery Channel, History Channel, and others, and has traveled the world making programs that explain silly ideas and bizarre beliefs - from urban legends and the Da Vinci Code to religious myths and conspiracy theories. A graduate of the American Film Institute, Quinn worked in development for HBO and Dreamworks and has been a Los Angeles-based film critic and entertainment reporter. Excerpts from his upcoming book, What Do You Do with a Chocolate Jesus? (An Irreverent History of the New Testament), can be found on his blog site: Choco-jesus.blogspot.com.

Admission: $8
Students: $4
Free for Friends of the Center

*This lecture will repeat at 4:30 p.m. at the Costa Mesa Community Center at 1845 Park Ave., Costa Mesa, 92626. map
Hosted by the CFI Community of Orange County.

Atheist, Secular and Humanist Links Roundup

2010-06-27T08:53:00.001-07:00

It’s been a while since I posted, summer is here and I can’t stand the thought of wasting this beautiful sunshine by staying inside.

There have been a lot of great articles posted on several blogs lately…enjoy

Should skeptic organizations be atheist organizations? posted over at Pharyngula, of course my answer is absolutely not

Over at CFI – Secularism and Humanist Morality by John Shook

An interesting post on Humility from Let Me Be Frank, Wikipedia has a good breakdown of what humility means in terms of various religions

Three things worth reading from The Immanent Frame – Secularism, secularization and why the difference matters, Hatred and Humanism, and Debating Secularization

Snagged from Happy Jihad’s House of Pancakes

Go California!

2010-05-23T10:10:00.001-07:00

We might not allow gay marriage, yet, but at least we take care of our children’s education, as best we can anyway.

Snagged from Religion Clause

AP and Fox News report that last Monday, the California state Senate Appropriations Committee voted 6-3 (bill history) to approve and send S.B. 1451 on to the full state Senate. The bill is designed to prevent California from adopting textbooks that contain the controversial changes approved last week by the Texas State Board of Education. (See prior posting.) The bill would require that the California State Board of Education notify chairs of the Senate and Assembly education committees, as well as the state Secretary of Education, of textbook content that appears to be the result of the Texas changes. California Chronicle reports it is expected that the state Senate will pass the bill this week. Here are some of the legislative findings included in the latest version of the bill:

(h) Although not yet formally adopted, it is widely presumed that the proposed changes to Texas' social studies curriculum will have a national impact on textbook content since Texas is the second largest purchaser of textbooks in the United States, second only to California.

(i) As proposed, the revisions are a sharp departure from widely accepted historical teachings that are driven by an inappropriate ideological desire to influence academic content standards for children in public schools.

(j) The proposed changes in Texas, if adopted and subsequently reflected in textbooks nationwide, pose a serious threat to Sections 51204.5, 60040, 60041, 60043, and 60044 of the Education Code as well as a threat to the apolitical nature of public school governance and academic content standards in California.

Paul Kurtz Resigns from the Center for Inquiry (CFI)

2010-05-18T16:52:00.001-07:00

I knew this was going to eventually happen. Good luck CFI, you’re going to need it.

Center for Inquiry Board Statement:
Board to accept Paul Kurtz resignation

Amherst, N.Y. (May 18, 2010)—The Board of Directors of the Center for Inquiry, the world’s leading and largest organization promoting humanism and skepticism, issued the following statement today: The board will accept Dr. Paul Kurtz’s resignation as chairman emeritus and as a member of the board:

The board sincerely thanks Paul Kurtz for his decades of service to the Center for Inquiry and its affiliates. The board deeply respects Dr. Kurtz and his work and knows that this organization will always be associated with his efforts on its behalf. Dr. Kurtz founded and led our organization and helped it thrive. Much of CFI’s success is due to Paul Kurtz’s inspiration and leadership.

Our success is also due in no small part to the efforts of CFI’s dedicated staff, its many skilled volunteers, and its generous financial supporters. CFI has never been a one-person operation.

At Paul Kurtz’s behest, CFI began years ago to organize a leadership transition. Moreover, in recent years the board had concerns about Dr. Kurtz’s day-to-day management of the organization. In June 2008, the board appointed Dr. Ronald A. Lindsay president and CEO; in June 2009, the board elected Richard Schroeder chairman, with Dr. Kurtz moving to chairman emeritus. During this two-year transition, CFI continued to hold a rigorous schedule of more than 110 national and international events, to develop its grassroots network, and to advocate effectively for humanism and skepticism.

As a result of this transition, CFI is well-prepared to move forward into the next phase of its institutional life, confident that the organization will remain at the forefront of secular humanism and skepticism.

Into The Universe With Stephen Hawking: April 25th at 9PM on the Discovery Channel

2010-04-11T20:33:00.001-07:00

Woo on My Droid!

2010-04-04T17:15:00.001-07:00

This is the top listed Droid download for my phone today…

Want to relax? Meditate? Learn faster? Focus attention? Increase your awareness? Try selfhypnosis? Just put on the earphones and let BrainWave Tuner turn you on. * 2009 HANDANGO Championship Award Best HealthFitness App * BrainWave Tuner Lite is a brain wave stimulation application that generates tones with binaural beats which can change your brain frequency towards the desired state be it relaxation or enhanced attention. 6 of 16 Preset Sound Patterns are included in this Lite version Headache Therapy Helps alleviating headaches with mix of steady low tones. Meditation Helps attaining a meditative state of mind quickly. The effect will be better with no noise background or other special effects. Schumann Resonance Helps meditating with a steady 7.83Hz tone. This is the resonance frequency of the Earths magnetic field making it a very natural meditation frequency. Sleep Induction Gently moves the brain frequency down to 3Hz with a fadeout at the end. Relaxation Helps to relax with a basic sweep from regular beta activity(15Hz) down to 7Hz. The end of the sweep is emphasized slightly with a louder volume. Selfhypnosis help getting into a selfhypnotic state. The user should listen to the repeating sound and concentrate on it. The key to successful selfhypnosis is in being able to concentrate on the sound

Stephen Batchelor: Confession of a Buddhist Atheist FORA

2010-04-04T17:12:00.001-07:00

Why I Don’t Believe in the New Atheism – Tom Flynn

2010-03-28T10:45:00.001-07:00

Finally, something he and I agree on…

Authors @ Google: Sam Harris January 5, 2010

2010-03-28T07:12:00.001-07:00

Snagged from RichardDawkins.net

Council for Secular Humanism Announces Spectacular Lineup for 30th Anniversary Conference

2010-03-27T17:02:00.001-07:00

Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Robert Wright, James Randi, P.Z. Myers, Rebecca Goldstein to Head Stellar Roster!

The Council for Secular Humanism is proud to announce its 30th anniversary subscribers' conference. "Setting the Agenda: Secular Humanism's Next 30 Years" will be held October 7 - 10, 2010, at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, California. Scheduled speakers include Richard Dawkins, who will accept a very special award (to be announced); authors Sam Harris and Richard Wright, who will dialogue on humanist stances toward faith; and a glittering roster of speakers, including James Randi, P. Z. Myers, Eugenie Scott, Paul Kurtz, Lawrence Kruass, Chris Mooney, Jennifer Michael Hecht, Victor Stenger, Shadia Drury, Mark Johnson, Barry Kosmin, Ibn Warraq, and many more.

Advance Registration Discounts Available ONLY in the April-May FREE INQUIRY Magazine

The April-May issue of FREE INQUIRY (just published) contains detailed conference information and a special registration form with exclusive early-bird registration discounts. "As a way of saying thank you to our readers and subscribers, we're announcing the conference in FREE INQUIRY about a month and a half before we tell the rest of the world," said Council executive director and FREE INQUIRY editor Tom Flynn. "And we're offering registration discounts that will be available only through May 15, and only when people register by mail or phone using the form in that magazine."

CFI-L.A. Celebration, Awards Banquet, Theatrical Performance

The conference banquet, held the evening of Friday, October 8, will also be the 15th anniversary celebration for Center for Inquiry–Los Angeles and will be chaired by CFI–LA director James Underdown. Richard Dawkins will speak and receive his very special award at the banquet. There will also be an engaging theatrical event: a live restaging of one of Steve Allen's classic Meeting of Minds PBS shows, starring Gary Cole (Entourage), Charles Shuaghnessy (The Nanny), Wendie Malick (Just Shoot Me), Robert Forster (Oscar nominee for Jackie Brown) and Dan Lauria (The Wonder Years), who will portray intriguing historical figures live on stage.

Lawrence Krauss – A Universe From Nothing

2010-03-27T16:57:00.001-07:00

Snagged from RichardDawkins.net YouTube channel

Links Roundup

2010-03-27T16:54:00.001-07:00

Is There a Secular World View? from Discovering Secular Humanism

Here’s a mouthful…Neo-Humanist Statement of Secular Principals and Values: Personal, Progressive and Planetary by Paul Kurtz It’s worth a read but I can’t say I agree with all of this points. People are NEVER going to agree completely on anything so why try, to stir the pot maybe? You can find a good write-up/review at Humanism, Kurtz Confront the New Atheism

Can Science Offer Moral Guidance? from How Do You Think?

Proud Atheists ask the question…Are You Pro Choice or Pro Life? I’m pro stay-the-hell-out-of-my-business

Two great posts from Epiphenom – Prayer, but not belief in the afterlife, reduce anxiety in sick people and Did world religions help bring about complex societies?

ABC’s Frontline Special: Does God Have a Future? Michael Shermer, Sam Harris, Deepak Chopra debate God

Edge 314: Pathways to and from Violent Extremism: The Case for Science Based Field Research by Scott Atran

2010-03-21T08:37:00.001-07:00

Edge #314

Hey Texas…Judy Chicago Has a Quote for You

2010-03-21T08:32:00.001-07:00

Because we are denied knowledge of our history, we are deprived of standing upon each other's shoulders and building upon each other's hard earned accomplishments. Instead we are condemned to repeat what others have done before us and thus we continually reinvent the wheel.

- Judy Chicago

Texas Votes to Remove Jefferson from History Class

Russell Blackford and AC Grayling Discuss Atheism

2010-03-21T07:57:00.001-07:00

Snagged from RichardDawkins.net

Video 1 of 5

Russell on the Nature of Ethics by Peter Stone

2010-03-20T13:36:00.001-07:00

From the Humanist Community Blog

What is ethics? How do we know right from wrong? What does it even mean to say that some action is “right” or “wrong?” Bertrand Russell, one of the greatest philosophers and humanists of the twentieth century, grappled with questions like these all his life. Peter Stone, a Stanford Political Science Professor and longtime member of the Bertrand Russell Society, will discuss Russell’s views on the nature of ethics.

Humanist Community Forum (2010-02-21): Russell on the Nature of Ethics (Prof. Peter Stone) from Brian Davis on Vimeo.

Atheist Secular Roundup

2010-03-20T13:32:00.001-07:00

Monkey Morality from Atheism: Proving the Negative

The Meaning of Life: An Interview With Professor AC Grayling from The Freethinker – this is a fantastic read, the link is to part 1.

Humanist Symposium #51 – several great reads this months

Carnival of the Godless #137 – also full of great articles

Anarchism and Humanism at Let Me Be Frank (psst, you can’t be Frank, he’s gone, hence the name of the blog)

The latest edition of eSkeptic is up

Two great posts by Daniel Loxton at Skepticblog - “The Standard Pablum” - Science and Atheism and Further Thoughts on Atheism

What is Humanism? from Ebonmuse at Daylight Atheism

For the Love of Sophia from Advocatus Atheist

Moral Instinct from How do You Think?

What’s Wrong With Transhumanism

2010-03-20T12:37:00.001-07:00

Transhumanism page at Wikipedia

Science Saturday: What’s Wrong With Transhumanism?

Is transhumanism fatally optimistic? (06:10)
Massimo’s ethical qualms with life extension (12:21)
The dangers of rapid technological advance (03:21)
Massimo vs. Mike on whether it’s possible to upload your mind (10:44)
Is the Turing Test a behaviorist blunder? (15:44)
Pesky limitations imposed by human biology (07:15)

George Packer and Christopher Hitchens Talk About George Orwell on BookTV CSPAN2

2010-02-27T16:17:00.001-08:00

Saturday 10 PM, Sunday 9 PM & Monday 12 PM and 3 PM ET

George Packer (ed.), George Orwell
Facing Unpleasant Facts and All Art is Propaganda
George Packer and Christopher Hitchens talk about George Orwell and his work. Mr. Packer selected the pieces that appear in two recently published volumes of George Orwell's essays: Facing Unpleasant Facts and All Art Is Propaganda. Mr. Hitchens, essayist for The Atlantic Monthly, is the author of Why Orwell Matters.

Jabberwocky! Disney Has Hit with Alice in Wonderland

2010-02-20T18:53:00.001-08:00

I got to see the press screening of Disney’s Alice in Wonderland this past Thursday at the El Capitan. All I can say is I don’t want to live in Pandora, I want to live in Wonderland! To me this movie is much better than Avatar on so many levels. Truth be told, I didn’t like Avatar at all, I know, I’m the lone voice of dissent on that one.

This trailer doesn’t do the movie justice but it’s all I’ve got to show you. I can’t wait to see it at an IMAX. Movie comes out March 5.

Berkeley Webcast/Podcast of Courses

2010-02-14T18:00:00.001-08:00

Snagged from philosphybites

You can download full courses, some in mp3 and some are video files. Here is the 2009 Fall semester list, to change years use the dropdown, right hand side of the page. Philosophy, science, psychology, etc.

Valentine's Day Facts: Gifts, History, and Love Science

2010-02-14T09:19:00.001-08:00

National Geographic has a great write-up on Valentines Day.

Rest at the site

Where did Valentine's Day come from? (Think naked Romans, paganism, and whips.) What does it cost? And why do we fall for it, year after year? Read on.

Valentine's Day History: Roman Roots

More than a Hallmark holiday, Valentine's Day, like Halloween, is rooted in pagan partying. (See "Halloween Facts: Costumes, History, Urban Legends, More.")

The lovers' holiday traces its roots to raucous annual Roman festivals where men stripped naked, grabbed goat- or dog-skin whips, and spanked young maidens in hopes of increasing their fertility, said classics professor Noel Lenski of the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Sam Harris Picks a Fight with God on Patt Morrison Tomorrow

2010-02-11T19:40:00.001-08:00

http://www.scpr.org/programs/patt-morrison/

Sam Harris picks a fight with God

According to the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, an amazing 92% of Americans believe in God or a universal spirit-even one in five of self-identified atheists believe in a higher power. Ardent secularist Sam Harris isn't deterred by those numbers, and in fact has made it his life's mission to force the faithful to question their religious faith-Harris would even argue that the future of civilization is dependent on it. Questioning commonly held assertions and wisdom found in the Bible; seeking out debates with theologists across the spectrum, from Judaism to Christianity to Islam; and all but picking a fight with God, Sam Harris takes his secular crusade to Patt's microphone.

Guest:

Sam Harris, co-founder & CEO of The Reason Project; neuroscience researcher; author of "The End of Faith" & "Letter to a Christian Nation"

CFI Orange County Victor J. Stenger What Can Science Say About God and the Afterlife?

2010-02-11T07:58:00.000-08:00

CFI-L.A.'s FEED YOUR BRAIN Lecture Series presents

Victor J. Stenger

What Can Science Say About God and the Afterlife?

Sunday, Feb. 21
11 a.m. in Hollywood
4:30 p.m. in Costa Mesa*

The claim has been made that reason and science supply new and persuasive evidence for the existence of God and the afterlife. A creator God is said to be supported by the apparent fine-tuning of the physical parameters of the universe to make like possible. The afterlife is suggested by studies of past-life memories, near-death experiences, and various paranormal claims. Furthermore, quantum mechanics has supposedly provided reason to believe that consciousness is a separate entity from our bodies and brains and thus able to survive death. New York Times bestselling author Vic Stenger will examine these claims from the point of view of a physicist who spent forty years studying the fundamental structure of the universe.

Stenger, who received a doctorate in Physics from UCLA in 1963, taught at the University of Hawaii, retiring to Colorado in 2000. He is currently am adjunct professor of philosophy at the University of Colorado and emeritus professor of physics at the University of Hawaii. Dr. Stenger has also held visiting positions on the faculties of universities in Germany, England, and Italy.

Dr. Stenger's distinguished research career has spanned the period of great progress in elementary particle physics to very high-energy gamma ray and neutrino astronomy. He also is the author of nine critically acclaimed popular science books about physics, cosmology, philosophy, religion, and pseudoscience. His 2007 book, God: The Failed Hypothesis. How Science Shows that God Does Not Exist, was a New York Times bestseller. His latest books, which came out in 2009, are Quantum Gods and The New Atheism: Taking a Stand for Science and Reason.

$8, or free for Friends of the Center.
$4 for students.

*This lecture will be repeated at 4:30pm at the Costa Mesa Community Center, 1845 Park Ave.

What came first: science or democracy? Timothy Ferris on Patt Morrison Tomorrow

2010-02-08T17:21:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow on Patt Morrison...

You can listen live, call-in number (866) 893-5722. Time is left hand coast.

http://www.scpr.org/programs/patt-morrison/

2:30 – 3:00

What came first: science or democracy?

What has been the impetus and inspiration for the democracies of the world? Timothy Ferris argues that it was and is science, explaining how the political and scientific revolutions grew concomitantly, feeding off each other’s victories. Does that mean true democracy doesn’t exist in scientifically-deprived nations? And are the most scientific nations the most democratic? Ferris explores how scientific societies demand liberty and other social benefits.

Guests:

Timothy Ferris is the author of The Science of Liberty: Democracy, Reason, and the Laws of Nature and an emeritus professor at the University of California, Berkeley

PBS Ghosts of Machu Picchu Watch Online

2010-02-06T14:25:00.001-08:00

http://video.pbs.org/video/1392958573/

Skeptic Humanist Atheist Links Roundup

2010-02-06T13:15:00.001-08:00

Is the Universe Rational by Taner Edis

Quotes on Religion from Mark Twain from Why I De-Converted

Humanist Symposium #49 is up over at The Purloined Letter (yep, its in the style of my beloved Edgar Allan Poe)

Carnival of the Godless #134 at Right to Think

Does Prayer Make You More Forgiving and Why from Epiphenom

Of Progressive Humanism: Beyond the Creeds by R. Joseph Hoffmann

Science Knowledge Quiz from Pew Research

2010-02-06T13:12:00.001-08:00

Science Knowledge Quiz from Pew Research – I got all 12 right but…I was homeschooled ; ) Seriously, better than 90% of the public, we are sooo in trouble.

Edge 311: Charles Leadbeater - Cloud Culture

2010-02-06T08:06:00.001-08:00

http://www.edge.org/documents/archive/edge311.html

CLOUD CULTURE: THE PROMISE AND THE THREAT
By Charles Leadbeater
Introduction
In 1991, David Gelernter, in his book Mirror Worlds, forecast the Web and laid the groundworlk for what is now becoming known as Cloud Computing. Ten years ago Edge published David Gelernter's now-famous "The Second Coming: A Manifesto", and followed up in 2009 with "Lord of the Cloud: John Markoff and Clay Shirky talk to David Gelernter'". The Cloud is now front and center in public consciousness. A recent trip to Europe for a related EDGE-DLD event featuring Gelernter and the Feuilleton editors of Germany's two leading national newspapers, showed that the European views on the subject are in many ways quite different than those in the news, the blogs, and twttersphere in the US.
Innovation consultant Charles Leadbeater represents the European view. He was commissioned by Counterpoint, the think tank of the British Council to write a position paper entitled "Cloud Culture: the future of global cultural relations" (publication by the British Council on February 8th). The following Edge essay is adapted from that document.
—JB

Skeptical Inquirer News Vol. 2 No. 2 February 2010

2010-02-06T07:58:00.001-08:00

http://ga1.org/CSICOP/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=26853163

Welcome back to the Skeptical Inquirer News. In this edition we congratulate a CSI fellow for an upcoming prestigious award and CSICOP.org for topping a writer’s list of resources, explore another writer’s dubious interpretation of three Skeptical Inquirer articles on the Shroud of Turin, and announce three new hosts for the Point of Inquiry podcast. Also, congratulations and thanks are in order for big-hearted skeptics everywhere who helped bring relief to Haiti in record numbers.

In this edition:

Happy Birthday to Thomas Paine…And Me!

2010-01-29T09:29:00.001-08:00

So today is my birthday and I’m spending it in a neck brace. For anyone who was on the 405 South yesterday I apologize, even though it was not my fault.

Today is also Thomas Paine’s birthday and the LA Atheism Examiner, Hugh Kramer, has posted some great articles on one of my favorite free thinkers.

Thomas Paine Part I, Part II, and Part III

Some of my favorite quotes from TP

“The christian religion is a parody on the worship of the Sun, in which they put a man whom they call Christ, in the place of the Sun, and pay him the same adoration which was originally paid to the Sun.”

“Mingling religion with politics may be disavowed and reprobated by every inhabitant of America.”

“Character is much easier kept than recovered.”

“Lead, follow, or get out of the way.”

“The most formidable weapon against errors of every kind is reason.”

Christopher Hitchens on Thomas Paine (this is the first video, the others are at YouTube)

I Guess Christopher Hitchens is Good Fodder...

2010-01-27T09:28:00.001-08:00

For the second day in a row poor Christopher Hitchens is the object of satire...

Iowa Picks Up Commitment From Hitchens at Strong Safety

Snip, rest at the site

We're happy to announce Iowa's latest (and possibly last) commitment of the season. In response to David Cato's inevitable transfer, Iowa offered a safety in every sense of the word: he plays safety, and he was a safety pick, one who wouldn't have been offered unless something went wrong (see Cato, David). And fortunately, we were able to secure an exclusive interview with the man himself. Ladies and gentlemen, Christopher Hitchens!

I Love The Onion - Christopher Hitchens Forcibly Removed From Trailer Park After Drunken Confrontation With Common-Law Wife

2010-01-26T10:19:00.000-08:00

Christopher Hitchens Forcibly Removed From Trailer Park After Drunken Confrontation With Common-Law Wife

Snippet, rest at the site...

SPARTA, TN–Noted author, social critic, and political gadfly Christopher Hitchens was once again the focus of controversy Monday, when he was forcibly removed from Happy Trails trailer park following a drunken confrontation with Noreen Bodell, 39, his common-law wife of 14 years.

Creation the True Story of Charles Darwin

2010-01-24T16:44:00.001-08:00

I got a chance to see the movie Creation about the life of Charles Darwin Friday. I’m not going to give any spoilers but what I can say is that I cried, and I don’t cry easily. I had no idea the personal tragedy he endured, none of which was related to the writing of the book. Paul Bettany was amazing but Martha West stole the show. If you get a chance to see it do.

Blog Links Roundup

2010-01-24T11:56:00.001-08:00

Five Habits of the Skeptical Mind – some good points in the comments section too where I discovered a great new blog – How Do You Think

At Being Human there’s a post called What has made possible the success of the human species? that is definitely worth reading

Maria Caron has two great interviews, one with Ophelia Benson (co-author of Why Truth Matters) and another with Udo Schuklenk (co-editor of 50 Voices of Disbelief)

“Everything Happens for a Reason” from the Serene Atheist – anyone who’s ever experienced a tragedy in their life and heard this ridiculous saying knows where the author is coming from

Mark Twain and Christianity at Alex’s Heresies – great list of quotes by Twain

Carnival of Progressive Politics #1

Lastly a great post about Thomas Young at Young Freethought called the Last Man Who Knew Everything

Symposiums, Circles and Carnivals

2010-01-17T14:27:00.001-08:00

127th Skeptics Circle

128th Skeptics Circle

Carnival of the Godless #132

Carnival of the Godless #133

Humanist Symposium #48

Skeptic Society Caltech Lectures January – June 2010

2010-01-17T13:22:00.001-08:00

I just got my list of Skeptic Society lectures for the first part of 2010, they’ve got some great speakers. If you’re in the Orange County / LA area you won’t want to miss these – trust me, I’m from Iowa, where no one goes to speak, take advantage of these!

If you’re not in the area you can usually buy the DVD from the Skeptic website not long after the lecture.

Here’s the link to the lecture page on the Skeptic website, check here for updates or subscribe to Skeptic magazine and they’ll keep you updated.

January 31st – Rebecca Goldstein – author of 36 Arguments for the Existence of God A Work of Fiction

From the Skeptic website

IN THIS REVEALING TALK based on her compelling new novel, the award-winning writer and MacArthur “Genius” Fellow Rebecca Goldstein (Ph.D. in philosophy from Princeton and author of The Mind-Body Problem, Properties of Light, and studies of Kurt Gödel and Baruch Spinoza), shows that the tension between belief and skepticism cannot be understood through rational argument alone. It also must be explored from the point of view of individual people caught in the raptures and torments of religious experience in all their variety. 36 Arguments for the Existence of God plunges into the great debate of our day: the clash between faith and reason. World events are being shaped by fervent believers at home and abroad, While a new atheism is asserting itself in the public sphere. On purely intellectual grounds the skeptics would seem to have everything on their side. Yet people refuse to accept their seemingly irrefutable arguments and continue to embrace faith in God as their source of meaning, purpose, and comfort. Why? Goldstein gives us her answer through fiction and philosophy.

February 28th – Jared Diamond – Natural Experiments of History (I’ve seen Dr. Diamond 4 times and he’s a wonderful speaker)

March 14th – Deepak Chopra vs. Michael Shermer Debate – Does the Mind Exist Apart from the Brain – my newsletter suggests getting tickets early

March 21st – Dr. Leonard Mlodinow (Co-author of a Briefer History of Time) – The Drunkard’s Walk How Randomness Rules Our Lives

April 11th – Dr. David Goodstein – On Fact and Fraud Cautionary Tales from the Front Lines of Science

May 2nd – Dr. Roger E.A. Farmer – How the Economy Works Confidence, Crashes and Self-Fulfilling Prophecies

May 23rd – Dr. Mark Moffett – Adventures Among the Ants A Global Safari with a Cast of Trillions

June 13th – Dr. John Long – Death, Sex and Evolution

eSkeptic 01/13/2010

2010-01-17T07:32:00.001-08:00

In this week’s eSkeptic:

feature article: Legends of the Dogon: Mystery Resurfaces
MonsterTalk: Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum!
follow Michael Shermer: The Neuron Bomb of Terrorism

This is Just Sad…Mississippi Needs a New Literacy Program

2010-01-16T11:06:00.001-08:00

I guess it hasn’t improved enough!

CFI Orange County – Melvin Kirschner All Medicines are Poison! Making Your Way through the Medical Minefield

2010-01-13T19:38:00.001-08:00

Melvin H. Kirschner, M.P.H., M.D.
All Medicines are Poison! Making Your Way through the Medical Minefield

Sunday, January 31
11 a.m. in Hollywood;
Note: Different time & location for Costa Mesa
3 p.m. at the Donald Dungan Library, 1855 Park Ave., Costa Mesa*
How do you evaluate what medical treatments are effective, particularly when there are conflicting studies and advice? What are the consumer and medical field’s concerns with the pharmaceutical and insurance companies? Are there any effective alternative medicine treatments? As health care reform is currently being developed in Congress, Dr. Melvin H. Kirschner sets out to “remove the fog of confusion that clouds the landscape patients are required to navigate in their search for health care today.” He also will explain that medicines are effective but that they can be poisonous if not applied properly. Hence the title!

In his lecture based on his new book, All Medicines are Poison! Making Your Way through the Medical Minefield, Dr. Kirschner describes the risks and benefits associated with the use of medicines, and explores the validity of other treatments, such as alternative medicine, and the failings and backroom dealings in the pharmaceutical and insurance industries. A long-time advocate for patients’ rights, Dr. Kirschner has a long career in the public health field. He studied at Dartmouth and Brown, received BA and BS degrees from UCLA in bacteriology and public health, worked as a public health sanitary inspector and public health engineer, received an MA in public health from UC-Berkeley, and earned his MD at USC, which he followed by training at the Los Angeles County General Hospital.

*The library is next to the Costa Mesa Neighborhood Center, where the talks are usually held.

$8, or free for Friends of the Center.
$4 for students.

Robert Wright & Rebecca Goldstein: The Atheist Soul

2010-01-12T19:26:00.001-08:00

I haven’t had time to listen to this one but I hope Robert doesn’t yell through the whole thing like he did with Christopher Hitchens.

The Atheist Soul

Rebecca’s new novel, “36 Arguments for the Existence of God” (11:16)
Does transcendent experience imply a transcendent power? (07:06)
The origins of the novel: Huxley, math, and atheists (04:45)
Rebecca’s favorite argument for the existence of God (03:07)
The temptations of the “life is just a dream” theory (07:51)
Rebecca’s intense involvement with her fictional characters (04:50)

Play entire diavlog

The Edge Annual Question 2010 – How Is The Internet Changing the Way You Think?

2010-01-12T12:34:00.001-08:00

This is my favorite edition of Edge – the annual question. Each year a group of people are asked to reply to the Edge annual question and their answers are posted online at the Edge website, this year Edge 301. It’s too much online reading for me I bought last years book, much easier for me.

From the website

Read any newspaper or magazine and you will notice the many flavors of the one big question that everyone is asking today. Or you can just stay on the page and read recent editions of Edge ...

Playwright Richard Foreman asks about the replacement of complex inner density with a new kind of self-evolving under the pressure of information overload and the technology of the "instantly available". Is it a new self? Are we becoming Pancake People — spread wide and thin as we connect with that vast network of information accessed by the mere touch of a button.

Technology analyst Nicholas Carr wrote the most notable of many magazine and newspaper pieces asking "Is Google Making Us Stupid". Has the use of the Web made it impossible for us to read long pieces of writing?

Social software guru Clay Shirky notes that people are reading more than ever but the return of reading has not brought about the return of the cultural icons we'd been emptily praising all these years. "What's so great about War and Peace?, he wonders. Having lost its actual centrality some time ago, the literary world is now losing its normative hold on culture as well. Is the enormity of the historical shift away from literary culture now finally becoming clear?

Science historian George Dyson asks "what if the cost of machines that think is people who don't?" He wonders "will books end up back where they started, locked away in monasteries and read by a select few?".
Web 2.0 pioneer Tim O'Reilly, ponders if ideas themselves are the ultimate social software. Do they evolve via the conversations we have with each other, the artifacts we create, and the stories we tell to explain them?

Frank Schirrmacher, Feuilleton Editor and Co-Publisher of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, has noticed that we are apparently now in a situation where modern technology is changing the way people behave, people talk, people react, people think, and people remember. Are we turning into a new species — informavores? — he asks.

W. Daniel Hillis goes a step further by asking if the Internet will, in the long run, arrive at a much richer infrastructure, in which ideas can potentially evolve outside of human minds? In other words, can we change the way the Internet thinks?

What do you think?

This year's Question is "How is the Internet changing the way YOU think?" Not "How is the Internet changing the way WE think?" We spent a lot of time going back on forth on "YOU" vs. "WE" and came to the conclusion to go with "YOU", the reason being that Edge is a conversation. "WE" responses tend to come across like expert papers, public pronouncements, or talks delivered from stage.

We wanted people to think about the "Internet", which includes, but is a much bigger subject than the Web, an application on the Internet, or search, browsing, etc., which are apps on the Web. Back in 1996, computer scientist and visionary Danny Hillis pointed out that when it comes to the Internet, "Many people sense this, but don't want to think about it because the change is too profound. Today, on the Internet the main event is the Web. A lot of people think that the Web is the Internet, and they're missing something. The Internet is a brand-new fertile ground where things can grow, and the Web is the first thing that grew there. But the stuff growing there is in a very primitive form. The Web is the old media incorporated into the new medium. It both adds something to the Internet and takes something away."

This year, I enlisted the aid of Hans Ulrich Obrist, Curator of the Serpentine Gallery in London, as well as the artist April Gornik, one of the early members of "The Reality Club" (the precursor to the online Edge) to help broaden the Edge conversation — or rather to bring it back to where it was in the late 80s/early 90s, when April gave a talk at a "Reality Club" meeting, and discussed the influence of chaos theory on her work, and when Benoit Mandelbrot showed up to discuss fractal theory and every artist in NYC wanted to be there. What then happened was very interesting. The Reality Club went online as Edge in 1996 and the scientists were all on email, the artists not. Thus, did Edge surprisingly become a science site when my own background (beginning in 1965 when Jonas Mekas hired me to manage the Film-Makers' Cinematheque) was in the visual and performance arts.

To date, 167 essayists (an array of world-class scientists, artists, and creative thinkers) have created a 130,000 document. (Click here to go directly to the responses).

John Brockman
Editor & Publisher

Hitch 22: A Memoir

2010-01-11T17:34:00.000-08:00

You can pre-order Christopher Hitchens autobiography, due out June 1st, here at Amazon - Hitch 22: A Memoir

From Amazon

Over the course of his 60 years, Christopher Hitchens has been a citizen of both the United States and the United Kingdom. He has been both a socialist opposed to the war in Vietnam and a supporter of the U.S. war against Islamic extremism in Iraq. He has been both a foreign correspondent in some of the world's most dangerous places and a legendary bon vivant with an unquenchable thirst for alcohol and literature. He is a fervent atheist, raised as a Christian, by a mother whose Jewish heritage was not revealed to him until her suicide.

In other words, Christopher Hitchens contains multitudes. He sees all sides of an argument. And he believes the personal is political.

This is the story of his life, lived large.

Secular Humanism Online News January 2010

2010-01-11T11:34:00.001-08:00

I just realized the links in my newsletter don't work, go here to see it online

http://ga1.org/secular_humanism/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=26861672

Vol.6 No.1

In This Issue:

A Friends Drawing of Darwin

2010-01-11T11:28:00.001-08:00

By my friend Bill who up until a few months ago could barely draw a stick figure!

January 16th is National Religious Freedom Day

2010-01-10T19:18:00.001-08:00

This holiday commemorates the passing of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom.

From Wikipedia

National Religious Freedom Day commemorates the Virginia General Assembly's adoption of Thomas Jefferson's landmark Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom on January 16, 1786. This vital document became the basis for the separation of church and state, and led to freedom of religion for all Americans as protected in the religion clause in the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment.

Religious Freedom Day is officially proclaimed on January 16 each year by an annual statement by the President of the United States. This day is commemorated by the First Freedom Center in Richmond, Virginia by an annual First Freedom Award banquet.

More at the Americans United for Separation of Church and State website

Podcasts on Atheism, Humanism, Skepticism, Philosophy, Etc

2010-01-10T08:17:00.001-08:00

Mojoey at Deep Thoughts posted a list of podcasts he listens to so I thought I’d do the same. I spend anywhere from 3 to 4 hours Monday through Friday in my car commuting to the Valley for work – yes I love my job that much, it isn’t the money!

Below is a list of podcasts I currently subscribe and listen to.

American Freethought
American Humanist
Center Stage (part of the Center for Inquiry)
Chariots of Iron
Digital Bits Skeptic
Equal Time for Freethought
Freethought Radio
Philosophy Bites
Point of Inquiry
Reasonable Doubts
Secular Nation
Skepticule (nothing recently, maybe dead podcast now)
The Atheist Experience (video)
The Good Atheist
The Pod Delusion
The Skeptic Zone
The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe

These are new ones that I haven’t taken the time to listen to but they look interesting

9 The Movie

2010-01-10T07:09:00.001-08:00

I am a huge Tim Burton fan, so when I saw that 9 was available for download on my PS3 I was sooo excited! I was not disappointed.

Some atheists may have problems with the parts of the ‘soul’ concept in the movie. I don’t want to give anything away but I viewed this not as parts of a soul but attributes that humans possess, at least this human. The need to be part of a whole (even if that whole is only 2 people), sacrificing yourself for another or for a greater good, curiosity – the what will happen if I touch this, love, fear of the unknown, I could go on. My SO didn’t get a lot of the deeper themes in the movie, he said he just enjoyed the animation – which was awesome!

Rarely do I buy DVD’s, once I’ve seen a movie that’s really it for me, but I think this is going on my wish list for my birthday.

Alien Evidence In Religious Art

2010-01-09T19:58:00.001-08:00

At first I thought this was a joke, but these people believe that there is REAL evidence of aliens in many famous pieces of religious art. Talk about Pareidolia, these people need to get out more.

Mojoey’s Hypocrisy Watch on Google Maps

2010-01-06T17:51:00.001-08:00

Most internet savvy atheists know the blog Deep Thoughts by Mojoey. He keeps up the Atheist Blogroll and in addition to that keeps track of nasty religious people – those involved in sexual abuse cases for example. Martin William at No2Religion created a Google map based on posts at Deep Thoughts.

Here is Mojoey’s post on the map, for a larger view go here.

I cannot believe how many have multiple convictions located right here in southern California, scary.

Fora.tv – David Mutton: Policing Our Minds

2010-01-06T17:21:00.001-08:00

What Most People and Penguins Have in Common - They're Illogical

2010-01-06T06:44:00.001-08:00

The Darwin Awards 2009

2010-01-04T20:59:00.001-08:00

Need a laugh…here are the 2009 Darwin Awards

I hope these people don’t / didn’t procreate. Here’s one to whet your appetite

(30 May 2009, Louisiana) Back seat drivers beware! Annoyed at how slowly her boyfriend was driving, Tamera B, 22, encouraged him to pick up the pace so she could get to work on time. Joking that it would be faster to walk to work, she opened the door of the pickup and stuck her foot out before falling to her death. Deputies of the jurisdictional Sheriff's Office stated that the truck was traveling at highway speed on I-12 at the time of the incident.

Orange County Freethought Alliance Conference 2010

2010-01-03T12:03:00.001-08:00

They’ve announced the date for the next OC Freethought Alliance Conference – May 8th 2010.

Speakers this year include – Michael Shermer, PZ Myers, Joe Nickell (must see!), Edward Tabash, Dan Barker, John Shook, William Lobdell, Brian Dunning, Dave Richards, Stephanie Campbell, Sarah Dunn and James Underdown and they are promising more. Click the link above for bios.

Visit their website for more details and registration information.

New Years Resolutions

2010-01-02T07:22:00.001-08:00

In 2010 I resolve to…

1. Finish the book Doubt by Jennifer Hecht. I don’t know why I’m having such a hard time with it, she’s a great writer and it’s very interesting maybe it’s the size of thing. There’s a good Point of Inquiry interview with Hecht here

2. Surf more – working in the Valley has totally taken a toll on my surfing. I maybe went out 10 times all summer. Usually I’m at the beach every weekend.

3. Learn to speak Burmese – don’t ask

4. Have more sex – again work has gotten in the way of my personal life. Thanks to Greta Christina and Amanda Gulledge I’ve got some great ideas on how to help out in this area.

5. Cook more

Skeptical Podcasts @ Grassroots Skeptics

2009-12-31T19:35:00.001-08:00

A large list of skeptical podcasts here – several I hadn’t heard of.

Mother Teresa Gets a Stamp – Christopher Hitchens Must Be Livid

2009-12-31T18:43:00.001-08:00

I cannot wait to see what he has to say about this…

http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/2009/pr09_118.htm#teresa

Joining her are Katharine Hepburn – what a hottie

Bill Mauldin – my grandfather loved him

See the full list here

Varieties of Nonbelief Fora.tv

2009-12-31T18:36:00.001-08:00

Better Late Than Never…Carnivals, Circles & Symposiums

2009-12-28T20:14:00.001-08:00

Carnival of the Godless #130 – be sure to check out An Evolutionary Argument for Atheism

Carnival of the Godless #131

Skeptic’s Circle #125 – a little hard to follow but interesting

Skeptic’s Circle #126

The Humanist Symposium #47 – many, many great articles in this one!

52 Weeks, 52 Religions Blog

2009-12-28T19:50:00.001-08:00

Ever wanted an inside look at the various religions out there, this blog is for you. Each week a different religion is profiled in an mp3 format, very interesting. Podcast feed only.

Atheist Resources Wiki

2009-12-28T19:43:00.001-08:00

New wiki for atheists, currently just starting but could be promising. They’re looking for contributors.

10 Most Pressing Philosophical Issues of the 21st Century

2009-12-26T17:01:00.001-08:00

List at Philosophy Talk blog – great podcast too.

To mark the occasion of our 200th episode, we invited three former guests, Brian Leiter, Jenann Ismael, and Martha Nussbaum, and also our listeners to help us come up with a list of the 10 most pressing philosophical issues of the 21st Century. We talked about all sorts of ideas and it was hard to distill out just 10, but John and Ken summarized the suggestions and compiled them on the fly at the end of the show. But with a little more time to reflect, we decided to clean the list up a bit. So what follows is an improved version of the makeshift list that was generated during the broadcast.

Edge 309 - Richard Dawkins: Growing Up In Ethology

2009-12-23T14:36:00.001-08:00

This online EDGE edition is available at:
http://www.edge.org/documents/archive/edge309.html

THE THIRD CULTURE
GROWING UP IN ETHOLOGY
By Richard Dawkins

FOUR SIDES TO EVERY STORY
By Stewart Brand

TO BEAT AL QAEDA, LOOK TO THE EAST
By Scott Atran

IN THE NEWS
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (STARRED REVIEW)

BEYOND EDGE
Clay Shirky, Evgeny Morozov, Stewart Brand, Nathan Wolfe, Marin Rees, Alan Guth, William Poundstone, Bjorn Lomborg, Steven Pinker, Alun Anderson

Defending The Faith, And Morality, Of NonBelievers

2009-12-23T14:34:00.001-08:00

Interview with author and Humanist Chaplain at Harvard University Greg Epstein on NPR. Click here to listen to the interview.

Humanism — the belief that ethics and morality can be vested in rationality, rather than a supernatural deity — might sound like a departure from faith communities and culture, but according to Greg Epstein, it doesn't have to be.

In his new book, Good Without God: What A Billion Nonreligious People Do Believe, Greg Epstein responds to challenges against humanism that spring from atheists and religious communities alike. Epstein argues that so-called nonbelievers actually share many important beliefs, and he discusses the importance of investing in these values of tolerance, responsibility, and morality.

Epstein himself is an atheist, and the Humanist Chaplain at Harvard University. Good Without God is his first book.

One Man’s Meat - Christopher Hitches & Robert Wright

2009-12-21T20:12:00.001-08:00

I soooooo have a dirty mind, this needs a new title.

One Man’s Meat

What, if anything, is the basis for an atheist’s morals? (07:54)
When Christopher says, ‘Religion poisons everything,’ he means… (11:02)
Religion is irrational? Compared to what? (10:25)
Christopher: Jesus doesn’t love the little children (15:28)
Did religion cause the Israel-Palestine conflict? (09:29)
Why Christopher won’t stop ridiculing God (04:55)

Quirkology Top 10 Quirky Science Tricks for Christmas Parties

2009-12-10T18:56:00.001-08:00

Resolution To Protect Sanctity of Christmas Introduced Into House

2009-12-10T18:21:00.001-08:00

Like there’s ANY chance that people are going to just stop saying Merry Christmas…

One of the recent posts at Religion Clause is about a House resolution that would see below (my snide comments are in <>)

(1) recognizes the importance of the symbols and traditions of Christmas;

< what about Judaism, Hanukah, the Star of David? or Scientology and Freedom Day? shouldn’t they be added, they’re just as important right? Jesus loves everybody.>

(2) strongly disapproves of attempts to ban references to Christmas; and

<Oh yes, this one is especially important…moron>

(3) expresses support for the use of these symbols and traditions by those who celebrate Christmas.

<That’s right the government should SUPPORT X-Mas, that’s in the Constitution isn’t it, oh no, wait…moving on!>

Read the rest of the post here.

The Atheist’s Guide to Christmas – Derren Brown

2009-12-05T18:20:00.001-08:00

Derren Brown’s official blog has posted an excerpt of his contribution to the book The Atheist’s Guide to Christmas. Below is just a small part, more at the site.

“…there hangs in the air something anemically dissatisfying when people talk about Christmas as being “a time for giving”, or “a time to remember those less fortunate than ourselves”, or any other of the bloodless blandnesses that are vapidly trotted out around this time of year by priests and politicians. Does that not sap the true meaning of Christmas? Are we not missing out on its magnificence and reducing it to the status of a relic on a shelf that we don’t quite know what to do with? Well, perhaps, but there are plenty of historical artefacts better left on quaint display than put to their original uses.”

Edge 307 – Biology (Not Religion) Equals Morality

2009-12-05T18:07:00.001-08:00

http://www.edge.org/documents/archive/edge307.html

Snippet

IT SEEMS BIOLOGY (NOT RELIGION) EQUALS MORALITY
by Marc D. Hauser

Where I intend to be divisive is with respect to the argument that religion, and moral education more generally, represent the only — or perhaps even the ultimate — source of moral reasoning. If anything, moral education is often motivated by self-interest, to do what's best for those within a moral community, preaching singularity, not plurality. Blame nurture, not nature, for our moral atrocities against humanity. And blame educated partiality more generally, as this allows us to lump into one category all those who fail to acknowledge our shared humanity and fail to use secular reasoning to practice compassion.

MARC D. HAUSER an evolutionary psychologist and biologist, is Harvard College Professor, Professor of Psychology and Program in Neurosciences, and Director of Primate Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory. He is the author of The Evolution of Communication, Wild Minds: What Animals Think, and Moral Minds: How Nature Designed Our Universal Sense of Right and Wrong.

Does God of the Bible Exist? Debate Costa Mesa Orange County CA Dec 9th

2009-11-29T14:20:00.001-08:00

Thanks to Deep Thoughts for this.

The Orange County Freethought Alliance is having a debate - “Does God of the Bible Exist?” at the Costa Mesa Community Center (where CFI Orange County meets) this upcoming Sunday December 9th at 7 p.m – right next to Lions Park.

Tickets are $10 and can be bought online here. I’ve had lunch with Hugh Ross and some other people from Reasons to Believe, along with Michael Shermer, and I think this will be a very good discussion.

The Atheists

MARK SMITH, Manatee Community College in Bradenton, FL and California State University in Long Beach, CA. He is a mechanical engineer by trade. A former Christian turned atheist, Smith now runs the website JCnot4me.com posting critical arguments and challenging theists worldwide.

BRUCE FLAMM, M.D. Wake Forest University, Inland Empire Atheists & Agnostics club organizer, Freedom From Religion lifetime member, Coalition for Secular America advisory board member, and outspoken critic of supernatural and faith-healing claims.

ALEX UZDAVINES, fourth year undergrad at University of California in Irvine, CA. He is studying psychology and social behavior and is a leader of the AAR (Atheists, Agnostics, & Rationalists) club on the UCI campus.

The Christians

HUGH ROSS, Ph.D Astronomy, University of Toronto, former fellow at CalTech, and founder of Reasons to Believe. Ross and the RTB staff keep tabs on the frontiers of research and how it connects with biblical theology. Ross has written numerous books and debates frequently on these issues.

CLAY JONES, M.Div - Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is assistant professor in the MA in Christian apologetics program at Biola University, has authored scholarly articles, and formerly hosted a nationally-syndicated, talk radio program.

DAN GROSSENBACH, M.A. Christian Apologetics, Biola University. He teaches apologetics at Mount of Olives Church in Mission Viejo, is a contributor to the blogsite ApologeticJunkie.com, and is a federal criminal investigator by profession.

Our moderator will be Brian Dunning from Skeptoid.com

Being good without God on Pat Morrison Monday Nov 30th

2009-11-28T19:53:00.001-08:00

Roy Speckhardt the executive director of the American Humanist Association will be on Pat Morrison on Monday.

1:30 - 1:58:30

Being good without God: Humanists roll-out ad campaign

The American Humanist Association is rolling out its first national holiday ad campaign, promoting awareness about the humanist movement and ethical life philosophy. Starting this week, buses here in Los Angeles might read “No God?...No Problem!” and “Why Believe in a God? Just be Good for Goodness’ Sake.” The campaign started in DC last week, and so far the response has been mostly positive—save for the few hundred emails telling the AHA they’re going to hell. How do you “sell” an idea like that? Patt talks with the AHA and an advertising expert.

You an listen to the show live here – remember we’re left coast time here : )

Since I take public transit I’ll post any signs I see.

Good Humanist Blog Posts

2009-11-28T18:59:00.001-08:00

Why I am Not a Humanist by Nigel Sinnott – he makes a lot of good points but I still refer to myself as a humanist (be sure to read the comments).

What the New Humanism Offers by Greg Epstein – yes the humanist chaplain at Harvard

Principles and Tenets of Spiritual Humanism – this is actually a website I got through a post at Secular Planet which is now ‘missing’ (deleted).

The Big Book of Humanity – new blog/ning group

Stephen Law’s humanism book – Introduction and Chapter 2 Arguments for the Existence of God he’s asking for comments

Holy Atheism: The Puzzle of Heidegger’s “Letter on Humanism”

Theism v. Atheism: I'm A Realist, Not An "Accommodationist"

2009-11-28T18:30:00.001-08:00

Michael Shermer responds to Jerry Coyne…

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-shermer/theism-v-atheism-im-a-rea_b_372260.html

I hate fundamentalist anything…christians, atheists, vegans, meat eaters, <insert your own stupid label here> so I’m siding with Michael on this one.

Reburying Albert Camus: A Political Ploy by Sarkozy?

2009-11-24T19:32:00.001-08:00

http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20091124/wl_time/08599194239200

Given the PanthÉon's function as the final repose for France's greatest heroes, it's perhaps not surprising that efforts are now afoot to relocate the ashes of writer and philosopher Albert Camus to a site beneath the 18th century Paris building's cupola. But rather than earning plaudits from intellectuals and ordinary French people alike, the move to honor the man some call France's most influential postwar thinker is sparking controversy. Some pundits and historians say that Camus' legacy is being exploited for political gain, while others argue that glorification of the philosopher by the French government would make a mockery of Camus' deeply individualist convictions.

Rest at the website

Edge 305 - 36 Arguments for the Existence of God

2009-11-21T07:13:00.000-08:00

Edge 305: "Edge 305—November 19, 2009

THE THIRD CULTURE

36 ARGUMENTS FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
By Rebecca Newberger Goldstein

THE REALITY CLUB

On 'THE AGE OF THE INFORMAVORE': A Talk with Frank Schirrmacher
David Gelernter, Evgeny Morozov

EDGE IN THE NEWS

SUDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG
Die Ich-Erschöpfung
Von Andrian Kreye

HUFFINGTON POST
The Age of the Informavore
By Frank Schirrmacher

BEYOND EDGE
Sam Harris, Daniel C. Dennett, NassimTaleb, Alan Guth, Nathan Myhrvold, Jason Calacanis"

Michael Shermer's How to Debate a Creationist Download

2009-11-18T11:44:00.000-08:00

Download for free at the Skeptic website - How to Debate a Creationist

In honor of the 150 anniversary (this month) of Charles Darwin’s The Origin of Species, and in the face of opposition to modern biology, we are pleased to offer one of our top selling resources as a free PDF download for one week only.
This 22-page handout edition includes: 25 evolutionist answers to 25 creationist arguments, and 10 answers to Intelligent Design creationist arguments.

Edge 304: Sean Carroll - Why Does the Universe Look the Way it Does?

2009-11-15T15:06:00.001-08:00

http://www.edge.org/documents/archive/edge304.html

Inflation does not provide a natural explanation for why the early universe looks like it does unless you can give me an answer for why inflation ever started in the first place. That is not a question we know the answer to right now. That is why we need to go back before inflation into before the Big Bang, into a different part of the universe to understand why inflation happened versus something else. There you get into brains and the cyclic universe. ... I really don't like any of the models that are on the market right now. We really need to think harder about what the universe should look like.

WHY DOES THE UNIVERSE LOOK THE WAY IT DOES?
A Conversation with Sean Carroll

SEAN CARROLL, a theoretical physicist, is a senior research associate at Caltech. His research interests include theoretical aspects of cosmology, field theory, and gravitation. He is the author of a Spacetime and Geometry: An Introduction to General Relativity; and From Eternity to Here: The Quest for the Ultimate Theory of Time. And he is cofounder and contributor to the Cosmic Variance blog.

Carnivals, Symposiums and Circles…

2009-11-15T14:57:00.001-08:00

Slightly behind, again

Carnival of the Godless #128 – hosted at State of Protest

Carnival of the Godless #129 – hosted at Nonreligious Nerd

Skeptics Circle #122 – hosted at Young Australian Skeptics (love the format of this one, someone has a great sense of humor)

Skeptics Circle #123 – hosted at Blue Genes (another humorous format)

Humanist Symposium #44 – hosted at Cubik’s Rube

Secular Humanism Online News Vol 5 No 11

2009-11-11T20:08:00.001-08:00

Vol.5 No.11

In This Issue:

Is Corruption Measurable? CFI Lecture LA and OC

2009-11-11T20:05:00.001-08:00

CFI-L.A.'s FEED YOUR BRAIN Lecture Series presents

Angela Hawken

Is Corruption Measurable?

Sunday, November 15
11 a.m. in Hollywood
4:30 p.m. in Costa Mesa*

Measures of corruption have become increasingly important drivers of American policy decisions, influencing flows of foreign assistance and investment. But existing measurement systems are not sufficiently accurate or valid. Angela Hawken of Pepperdine University will not only explain the problem of measuring corruption but also briefly examine its impact on society, from individual scams perpetrated by schemers such as Bernie Madoff to governmental graft and corruption. The arbitrariness of the U.S. allocation of international aid, for instance, is demonstrated through an analysis of "eligible country" determination within the Millennium Challenge Account, a bilateral development fund created by the Bush Administration. Measurement is more than an academic exercise; seemingly small details have large impacts.
Hawken is an Assistant Professor of Economics and Policy Analysis at Pepperdine’s School of Public Policy. She is originally from South Africa, where she taught economics before moving to the United States in 1998 to complete her doctorate in policy analysis at the RAND Graduate School. Hawken teaches graduate classes in research methods, statistics, applied methods for policy analysis, crime, and social policy, and her research interests are primarily in illicit drugs, crime, and corruption. She develops measurement instruments to study corruption and gender issues in Afghanistan, where she has lived, for the UN Development Program and the Asia-Pacific region for the UN regional office.

$8, or free for Friends of the Center.
$4 for students.

*This lecture will be repeated at 4:30pm at the Costa Mesa Community Center, 1845 Park Ave.
Hosted by the CFI Community of Orange County.

Atheists, Agnostics, Skeptics, Freethinkers, Secular Humanists and the Non-Religious Reach $1 Million at Kiva

2009-11-11T19:57:00.001-08:00

Thanks to The Atheist News for this! Congratulations to all the Kiva groups that made this possible.

Link to the article at Kiva

Link the the Atheists, Agnostics, Skeptics, Freethinkers, Secular Humanists and the Non-Religious Kiva team page.

Michael Shermer and Don Prothero vs Stephen Meyer and Rick Sternberg – Beverly Hills, CA

2009-11-11T19:38:00.001-08:00

The American Freedom Alliance is holding a debate that looks to be very entertaining – The Origins of Life Debate. Shermer and Prothero on the side of evolution and Meyer and Sternbeg on the intelligent design side.

The debate is being held at the Saban Theater in Beverly Hills on Monday November 30th at 7:30 pm. Tickets are only $20 and can be purchased through the link above.

Things That Make Me Glad I’m Here…

2009-11-11T18:39:00.001-08:00

If I wasn’t I’d miss this, a bloodbelly comb jelly, say that three times fast. I want one for my aquarium…bad. I am sooo glad YouTube wasn’t around when I was in college doing LSD, I would have never graduated.

Snagged from Zooillogix

The Latest Edition of eSkeptic 09-11-11

2009-11-11T18:33:00.001-08:00

In this week’s eSkeptic:

Ted Talks Charter for Compassion Series

2009-11-11T18:23:00.001-08:00

I love Ted Talks videos and mp3’s. Last week their Charter for Compassion series posted. If you only watch one I recommend Robert Wright’s (author of The Evolution of God, great book).

Robert Wright: The evolution of compassion - Robert Wright (2009)

Robert Thurman: Expanding your circle of compassion - Robert Thurman (2009)

Imam Faisal Abdul Rauf: Lose your ego, find your compassion - Feisal Abdul Rauf (2009)

Rev. James Forbes: Compassion at the dinner table - James Forbes (2009)

Swami Dayananda Saraswati: The profound journey of compassion - Dayananda Saraswati (2009)

Rabbi Jackie Tabick: The balancing act of compassion - Jackie Tabick (2009)

Atheist and Secular Podcasts

2009-11-11T18:04:00.001-08:00

Humanist Network News #43 – HNN Podcast: AAI '09 Darwin's Legacy Convention + The Atheist Camel

Freethought Radio - Freethought Art & Music: Steve Benson, Ernie Harburg, Guests: Ursula K. Le Guin, author, poet & unbeliever & Anne Landman, Colorado Activist, Guests: Donald C. Johanson, "Lucy" Discoverer & John Whiteside, Las Vegas freethought activist and Guest: Scary Guest! IRS Auditor Talks about Parish Exemptions & Other Tales for Halloween

Skepticule - Skepticule-004-20091021 an interview with Ted Turner, the Liverpool Humanist Group (show notes at the link)

Reasonable Doubts - #55 From Darwin to Hitler & #56 Degrees of Faith with Michael Shermer (do not miss this one)

American Freethought - #71 Eye of Sauron Edition and #72 Jennifer Burns (Goddess of the Market)

Point of Inquiry - J.D. Trout - The Empathy Gap, J.D. Trout - The Science of the Good Society, Greg Craven - What's the Worst That Could Happen?, Ben Radford - Skepticism 2.0 and Russell Blackford - 50 Voices of Disbelief (do not miss this one – awesome).

The Good Atheist - #69 is an interview with PZ Meyers and #70 talking about Maine and Steven Pinker’s new book The Language Instinct

The Skeptic Zone – #53 John Rennie editor in chief of Scientific American, #54 Dragon*Con, and #55 part II interview with John Rennie and an interview with William Brougham

Digital Bits Skeptic – The League of Scientists

The Skeptics Guide to the Universe - #222 Interview with James Randi, #223 Swine Flu, Hulda Clark and Homeopathy and #224 Carl Sagan Day, Human Combustion and TAM London

The Atheist Experience (links are direct download of mp3) - #628 Salvation, #629 Stealing Faith and #630 Viewer Calls

Chariots of Iron - Season 2, Episode 40: “Where do we go from here?” with Brian Parra (founder of the Ventura Atheists)

A Month’s Worth of Atheist and Secular Podcasts Part 2

2009-10-18T16:39:00.001-07:00

American Freethought

Podcast #65 – Live at Dragon*Con, Podcast #66 – Freethought in Mexico, Podcast #67 – Jeff Sharlet (The Family), Podcast #68 – (Almost) Live from AAI 2009, Podcast #69 – (Almost) Live from AAI 2009, Pt. 2 and Podcast #70 – Randy Olson (Don’t Be Such a Scientist)

Humanist Network News

Humanist Network News Podcast #42: Unscientific America

Secular Nation

Secular Nation #56 Gibran Cazorla, Secular Nation #57 Voices of The Convention and Secular Nation #58 Dr Stephen Uhl

A Month’s Worth of Atheist and Secular Podcasts Part 1

2009-10-17T18:31:00.001-07:00

My job is totally getting in the way of posting things but hey, a girl’s gotta have money for shoes : ) Part 2 tomorrow.

Freethought Radio

Guest: Gregory Paul, Universal Healthcare Promotes Freethought, Guest: Darrell Barker Topic: Capitol Case in Olympia, Guests: Rita Swan, CHILD; Sue Robinson, local activist Topics: Prayer by Government Decree, and Guests: Ron Reagan and Lodi activist Karen Buchanan

Reasonable Doubts

Episode 53 The Disunity of the Bible (part 2) with guest Robert Price and Episode 54 In Defense of Blasphemy

Chariots of Iron

Season 2, Episode 38: Blair Scott, proud to be an American Atheist and Season 2, Episode 39: The Post AAI Recap Show with Brother Richard

The Good Atheist

The Good Atheist Podcast: Episode 65, The Good Atheist Podcast: Episode 66 and The Good Atheist Podcast: Episode 67

The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe

Skeptics Guide #217 - Sep 12 2009 - Live from NECSS with Special Guest Richard Wiseman; News Items: Charlie Sheen 911 Truther, Quantum Amnesia, Hulda Clark Dead, Gonzalez Therapy Fail, What's in Your Wallet, Exomoons, Great Tits Eat Bats; Special Report: The Yale Study; Science or Fiction; Live Q&A

Skeptics Guide #218 - Sep 23 2009 - Interview with Michael Vassar; News Items: Raptor Rex, Bill Maher Antiscience, Panama Monster; Science or Fiction; Who's That Noisy

Skeptics Guide #219 - Sep 28 2009 - Interview with Mark Edward; News Items: Premanand Statement, Dinosaur News, Nanotube Springs, Cameron and Comfort on Darwin, Couple Jailed over Homeopathy Death; Your Questions and E-mails: Spiritual Advice, Life Signs, Speed of Light; Science or Fiction; Who's That Noisy

Skeptics Guide #220 - Oct 7 2009 - Interview with Daniel Hooper; News Items: Premanand In Memoriam, Nobel Prizes 2009, Ardipithecus Ramidis, Autism Prevalence; Interview with Brian Cox; Science or Fiction; Who's That Noisy

Skeptics Guide #221 - Oct 14 2009 - Interview with Jack Horner; News Items: NASA Shoots the Moon, Saturn's Rings, Hypno Cat, Simon Singh Update; Your Questions and E-mails: Plasma Rocket, This Man; Science or Fiction; Who's That Noisy

The Skeptic Zone Podcast

The Skeptic Zone #52 - 16.Oct.2009 - Prof. Ian Harris

Skepticule

Skepticule-001-20090920 - Takes a look at a recent edition of Unbelievable? - Premier Christian Radio's discussion programme that aims to get believers and non-believers talking.

Skepticule-002-20091001 - Interview with Adrian Hayter, the Atheist Blogger

Skepticule-003-20091014 - Merseyside Skeptics Society Skeptics with a K Special Episode 002 City Talk FM Claire Petulengro Interview with Crispian Jago TAM London Camp Quest UK Science, Reason and Critical Thinking Homeopathy

An Open Letter to Bill Maher on Vaccinations – Michael Shermer

2009-10-16T20:26:00.001-07:00

It’s about time…

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-shermer/an-open-letter-to-bill-ma_b_323834.html

A Post-Secular Humanist Manifesto

2009-10-09T19:32:00.001-07:00

I’ve read Hoffman’s blog for a while now, some of the time I totally agree with him and some of the time he makes me want to throw my laptop across the room…today I couldn’t agree with him more.

You really need to read the whole thing but here are few of my favorites

We believe that secular humanism now means so many different things that it has ceased to mean anything at all.

We believe that secular humanism’s hostility to all religion is indistinguishable from a religious hostility to all forms of unbelief.

We believe that men and women of virtue and intelligence have been atheists. We believe that women and men of virtue and intelligence have believed in God.

From the author

Please feel free to comment on this post or suggest constructive changes. It is a work in progress, not a finished product.

Carnival of the Godless #126

2009-09-20T11:05:00.001-07:00

The latest edition of the Carnival of the Godless is up at An Apostate’s Chapel and it’s got some great stuff in it.

A Sad Weekend

2009-09-20T10:50:00.001-07:00

I just got back from a funeral for a family member. It was an exhausting trip. I left Friday and got home this morning. My family is predominantly non-religious and our funerals are very different than those of religious people, at least the religious funerals I’ve attended.

The deceased life is celebrated. Pictures of them are everywhere and the entire family gathers around and tells stories about them. Their favorite foods are prepared, their favorite songs are played and even though there are tears there is also a lot of laughter and joy and closure which I think is lacking in most religious funerals.

I was 5 the first time I had to stand up and talk about a family member that died, it was my great great grandmothers funeral. I tried to think of what to say but nothing came to me so instead I decided to read a poem and spent several hours finding the “right “ one – Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost.

It’s become somewhat of a tradition for me to read a poem for my part of the funeral service and I’ve found it is the perfect way for me to say goodbye. The one below is what I want read at mine.

Do not stand at my grave and weep;
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there, I did not die.

By Mary Frye

The Necessity of Atheism by Percy Bysshe Shelley

2009-09-20T09:56:00.001-07:00

http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/percy_shelley/necessity_of_atheism.html

Lots of other great documents at the site.

Life Without Frank...

Sam Harris / Christopher Hitchens vs 2 Rabbi’s in Los Angeles February 15th

James Randi & Michael Shermer on the Stossel Show (Fox)

Free Podcast: “Militant Modern Atheism”

Richard Dawkins on Patt Morrison Tomorrow

For Skepticat…

I just don’t understand…Christopher Hitchens

Mind Over Mass Media – Steven Pinker

CFI LA and Orange County Event July 18th – God Needs Therapy

God Needs Therapy

Presented by Tom Quinn

Atheist, Secular and Humanist Links Roundup

Go California!

Paul Kurtz Resigns from the Center for Inquiry (CFI)

Center for Inquiry Board Statement: Board to accept Paul Kurtz resignation

Into The Universe With Stephen Hawking: April 25th at 9PM on the Discovery Channel

Woo on My Droid!

Stephen Batchelor: Confession of a Buddhist Atheist FORA

Why I Don’t Believe in the New Atheism – Tom Flynn

Authors @ Google: Sam Harris January 5, 2010

Council for Secular Humanism Announces Spectacular Lineup for 30th Anniversary Conference

Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Robert Wright, James Randi, P.Z. Myers, Rebecca Goldstein to Head Stellar Roster!

Advance Registration Discounts Available ONLY in the April-May FREE INQUIRY Magazine

CFI-L.A. Celebration, Awards Banquet, Theatrical Performance

Lawrence Krauss – A Universe From Nothing

Links Roundup

Edge 314: Pathways to and from Violent Extremism: The Case for Science Based Field Research by Scott Atran

Hey Texas…Judy Chicago Has a Quote for You

Russell Blackford and AC Grayling Discuss Atheism

Russell on the Nature of Ethics by Peter Stone

Atheist Secular Roundup

What’s Wrong With Transhumanism

George Packer and Christopher Hitchens Talk About George Orwell on BookTV CSPAN2

Jabberwocky! Disney Has Hit with Alice in Wonderland

Berkeley Webcast/Podcast of Courses

Valentine's Day Facts: Gifts, History, and Love Science

Sam Harris Picks a Fight with God on Patt Morrison Tomorrow

CFI Orange County Victor J. Stenger What Can Science Say About God and the Afterlife?

What came first: science or democracy? Timothy Ferris on Patt Morrison Tomorrow

PBS Ghosts of Machu Picchu Watch Online

Skeptic Humanist Atheist Links Roundup

Science Knowledge Quiz from Pew Research

Edge 311: Charles Leadbeater - Cloud Culture

Skeptical Inquirer News Vol. 2 No. 2 February 2010

Happy Birthday to Thomas Paine…And Me!

I Guess Christopher Hitchens is Good Fodder...

Iowa Picks Up Commitment From Hitchens at Strong Safety

I Love The Onion - Christopher Hitchens Forcibly Removed From Trailer Park After Drunken Confrontation With Common-Law Wife

Christopher Hitchens Forcibly Removed From Trailer Park After Drunken Confrontation With Common-Law Wife

Creation the True Story of Charles Darwin

Blog Links Roundup

Symposiums, Circles and Carnivals

Skeptic Society Caltech Lectures January – June 2010

eSkeptic 01/13/2010

This is Just Sad…Mississippi Needs a New Literacy Program

CFI Orange County – Melvin Kirschner All Medicines are Poison! Making Your Way through the Medical Minefield

Robert Wright & Rebecca Goldstein: The Atheist Soul

The Edge Annual Question 2010 – How Is The Internet Changing the Way You Think?

Hitch 22: A Memoir

Secular Humanism Online News January 2010

A Friends Drawing of Darwin

January 16th is National Religious Freedom Day

Podcasts on Atheism, Humanism, Skepticism, Philosophy, Etc

9 The Movie

Alien Evidence In Religious Art

Mojoey’s Hypocrisy Watch on Google Maps

Fora.tv – David Mutton: Policing Our Minds

What Most People and Penguins Have in Common - They're Illogical

The Darwin Awards 2009

Orange County Freethought Alliance Conference 2010

New Years Resolutions

Skeptical Podcasts @ Grassroots Skeptics

Mother Teresa Gets a Stamp – Christopher Hitchens Must Be Livid

Varieties of Nonbelief Fora.tv

Better Late Than Never…Carnivals, Circles & Symposiums

52 Weeks, 52 Religions Blog

Atheist Resources Wiki

10 Most Pressing Philosophical Issues of the 21st Century

Edge 309 - Richard Dawkins: Growing Up In Ethology

Defending The Faith, And Morality, Of NonBelievers

Center for Inquiry Board Statement:
Board to accept Paul Kurtz resignation