Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Paxman Meets Hitchens: A Newsnight Special
Play all videos (2)
November 29, 2010 on BBC Two
In a wide-ranging special interview, Jeremy Paxman talks to Christopher Hitchens about his cancer diagnosis, his life, his politics and his writing.(Thanks to TreVelocita)
Monday, November 29, 2010
The Story of Science: Power, Proof, and Passion
Episode 1: What Is Out There? (Playlist)
Michael Mosley takes an informative and ambitious journey exploring how the evolution of scientific understanding is intimately interwoven with society's historical pathEpisode 2: What Is The World Made Of?
Episode 3: How Did We Get Here?
Episode 4: Can We Have Unlimited Power?
Episode 5: What Is The Secret Of Life?
Episode 6: Who Are We?
(via DoctorE)
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Weekend Links
- Watch Hitchens vs. Blair Online for $2.99 (Video)
- Inside Story - Egypt's growing sectarian tensions (Video)
- TFC 2010 - Richard Haynes - Secular Parenting (Video)
- Faith-heads thrashed at Oxford Union
- Canadian police charge senior Orthodox prelate with sex crimes
- Dutch Catholic order admits abuse case hush money
- From Koogle to Yideotube, efforts to provide a kosher Internet
- Photographic Evidence Proves That Squid Can Fly
Tony Blair and Christopher Hitchens Debate Religion (Clip)
From BBC News:
Tony Blair and Christopher Hitchens debated the idea 'Religion is a force for good in the world'
Former UK PM Tony Blair has defended the role of religion in global affairs, in a televised debate in Canada with atheist columnist Christopher Hitchens
Mr Blair, a Catholic convert, said faith was a force for good and it was "futile" to attempt to drive it out.
But Mr Hitchens, who is terminally ill with cancer, argued religion forced people into doing terrible things.
In a vote after the debate, the audience voted two-to-one in Mr Hitchens' favour.
Read more
Friday, November 26, 2010
Jeremy Paxman Interviews Christopher Hitchens - BBC Newsnight (Preview)
November 26, 2010 on BBC Two - The full interview will be broadcast in a Newsnight special at 7.30pm on BBC on Monday 29 November 2010
Transcripts and Audio: Christopher Hitchens on Not Believing
November 26, 2010 on The Globe and Mail:
The British writer and avowed atheist sat down with The Globe's editorial board editor John Geiger to reflect on faith before Friday's Munk debate
Read More (With videos and MP3)
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Billboard: "You Know It's a Myth"
November 24, 2010 on Fox NY:
A group called the American Atheists has paid for a huge billboard on Route 495 outside the Lincoln Tunnel in North Bergen, N.J., that is raising some eyebrows.
The billboard shows a silhouette of the Three Wise Men approaching the Nativity, with the words: "You KNOW it's a Myth / This Season, Celebrate REASON!"
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Ex-Priest Held in Plot to Kill Sex Abuse Victim
November 24, 2010 on Fox News
From AP:
A defrocked Roman Catholic priest has been charged with trying to hire someone to murder a Texas teenager who accused him of sexual abuse two years ago, officials said.
John Fiala, 52, was arrested by state troopers Thursday after he negotiated a 5,000 dollar hit with an undercover agent, the Texas Department of Public Safety said in a statement.
Read more
People & Power - Magic and Murder
November 24, 2010 on Al-Jazeera English
People&Power investigates infanticide by voodoo ritual in the African republic of Benin.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Christians Outraged Over Tim Minchin's Song Featured on Christmas CD
From Herald Sun (Australia):
A CHRISTMAS CD aiming to raise funds for a Christian charity has been slammed for featuring an anti-Christian song.(via Pharyngula)
Faith and family groups have labelled the song, which includes the lyrics "I get freaked out by churches," and "I'm not expecting a visit from Jesus", as "disrespectful" and a "sick joke".
But the executive producer of Myer's annual star-studded Spirit of Christmas CD has defended his decision to include the song, White Wine in the Sun.
The song, written by atheist entertainer Tim Minchin, features alongside traditional Christmas carols such as Joy to the World and Little Drummer Boy.
Profits from CD sales go to The Salvation Army.
Read more
BBC Panorama - British Schools, Islamic Rules
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Aired November 22, 2010 on BBC One
Investigation which uncovers disturbing evidence that some Muslim children are being exposed to extremist preachers and fundamentalist Islamic groups. We also expose the part-time schools where hate is on the curriculum. The programme asks why school inspectors have missed the warning signs and examines the impact this could have on young Muslims' ability to integrate into mainstream British life.
Monday, November 22, 2010
BBC Finds Anti-Semitic Texts in UK Schools
November 22, 2010 on BBC News:
The BBC's Panorama programme has found evidence that Muslim schoolchildren in England are being taught anti-Semitic and homophobic material from a Saudi textbook.
The syllabus used at a network of more than 40 weekend schools details how the hands and feet are chopped off as punishment for thieves and teaches that the penalty for gay sex is execution.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Guardian Focus Podcast: Is Religion a Force for Good?
AC Grayling, Evan Harris, Jon Cruddas, Cristina Odone and Samia Rahman debate the virtues of religion
Download MP3
From The Guardian:
Download MP3
From The Guardian:
In anticipation of the coming debate between Christopher Hitchens and Tony Blair on the value of religion, we gathered a selection of thinkers on the subject to discuss the topic.
Read more
Christopher Hitchens vs. William Dembski: Does a Good God Exist?
UPDATE: The videos are no longer available on YouTube. You can watch the full debate at Prestonwood Christian Academy or listen to an MP3.
November 18, 2010 at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas.
(Thanks to Andrew, Ossian, and 1984)
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Weekend Links
- Hate E-mails with Richard Dawkins (Video)
- Pastor: Facebook is encouraging adultery (Video)
- Tribute to Indian Atheists (Video)
- Halal make-up business now booming (Video)
- Condoms, Pius XII, sex abuse and other main points in pope book
- Italian cardinal warns gay activists are persecuting Christians
- Saudi Arabia less rigid with Muslims during hajj
- Support for female circumcision declining in Africa, study shows
Pope Benedict Says Condom Use May Be Justified In Some Cases
November 20, 2010 on Fox News
From AP:
Pope Benedict XVI says in a new book that condoms can be justified for male prostitutes seeking to stop the spread of HIV, a stunning comment for a church criticized for its opposition to condoms and for a pontiff who has blamed them for making the AIDS crisis worse.
The pope made the comments in a book-length interview with a German journalist, "Light of the World: The Pope, the Church and the Signs of the Times," which is being released Tuesday. The Vatican newspaper ran excerpts on Saturday.
Read more
Debate: Does the Universe Have a Purpose?
Matt Ridley, Michael Shermer, Richard Dawkins VS Rabbi David Wolpe, William Lane Craig, Douglas Geivett
(via RichardDawkins.net)
Friday, November 19, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Family Waits to See if Mother Will Be Hanged for Blasphemy
November 18, 2010 on CNN:
In this village in Pakistan's Punjab province a tearful 12-year-old girl ponders if the Pakistani government will soon hang her mother.
"Whenever I see her picture I cry," Isham Masih told CNN. "I want my mother back. That's what I'm praying for."
This month a Pakistani court sentenced Isham's mother, 45-year-old Asia Bibi, to death, not because she killed, injured or stole, but simply because she said something.
Read more
Christopher Hitchens on ABC Lateline - UPDATED
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November 17, 2010 and November 18, 2010 on ABC Lateline (Australia)
Playlist updated with Part 2 of the interview.
(via Daily Hitchens)
CNN Interviews Prosecutor Behind the Blasphemy Death Sentence in Pakistan
November 18 2010 on CNN
From Telegraph:
A Christian woman has been sentenced to hang in Pakistan after being convicted of defaming the Prophet Mohammed.
Asia Bibi, a 45-year-old mother-of-five, denies blasphemy and told investigators that she was being persecuted for her faith in a country where Christians face routine harassment and discrimination.
Read more
Mexico Church 'Funded by Cartel'
November 17, 2010 on Al-Jazeera English
A Catholic church in Mexico is being investigated following allegations it received funds from a major drugs cartel.
Heriberto Lazcano, one of the leaders of the Zetas gang, is said to have laundered money via the chapel's priest.
US authorities are offering a bounty of more than $7 million for Lazcano.
A Godless Clergy - Daniel Dennett - NPR Radio
From The Emily Rooney Show:
Download MP3
A Godless Clergy: Faith in God—and holding fast to it despite your fears and doubts—is a central tenet of nearly every religion. But what if the head of your church doesn’t believe? Tufts University professor Daniel Dennet joins us to talk about the growing number of priests and clergy who no longer believe in God. Why do they continue to preach? And what does that mean for the people they serve?(via RichardDawkins.net)
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Hajj Streamlines Ritual Slaughter
November 17, 2010 on Al-Jazeera English
The annual Muslim pilgrimage, the Hajj is continuing with millions of devotees gathering for the ritual "stoning of the devil." Part of the Hajj involves the sacrifice of some 750,00 animals. And religious authorities say they are working hard to make sure the meat does not go to waste.(Thanks Andrew)
Nun Discovers Huge Sum of Money in Church
November 17, 2010 on Fox News
From New York Post:
A nun at a Greek Orthodox church in Queens turned over to the NYPD $260,000 in cash and 100 gold coins mysteriously left behind by the head of the congregation shortly after he left the country, The Post has learned.
Metropolitan Paisios Loulourgas, the abbot of St. Irene's Church and Monastery in Astoria for more than 30 years, was summoned to Greece earlier this month to meet with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the head of the Orthodox Church, according to parishioners.
When Loulourgas left, he told nuns to safeguard a bag, but didn't say what was inside, sources said.
Read more
Sam Harris Interviewed on MSNBC's 'The Last Word'
November 16, 2010 on MSNBC with Lawrence O'Donnell
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Denis Dutton: A Darwinian Theory of Beauty
Filmed Feb 2010; Posted Nov 2010 on TED
TED collaborates with animator Andrew Park to illustrate Denis Dutton's provocative theory on beauty -- that art, music and other beautiful things, far from being simply "in the eye of the beholder," are a core part of human nature with deep evolutionary origins.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Psychic Kids: Children of the Paranormal - A&E TV
From Pharyngula:
The A&E Channel has a new show coming up: Psychic Kids: Children of the Paranormal. Sounds awful already, doesn't it? But it's worse than you think: they're looking for disturbed kids who think they've got magic powers, and then they're flying in "professional psychics" to coach them in dealing with their awesome powers, i.e., indulge their delusions, get off on feeling superior to unhappy kids, and collect a paycheck for psychic child abuse.
They're putting kids in the hands of a creepy skeevo like Chip Coffey, all for your entertainment.
Read more
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Weekend Links
*NSFW
- Church Group Wins $129M with Lottery Ticket Bought at Porn Shop (Video)
- Discovery Channel Commercial "Ignorance is bliss" (Video)
- Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy in Pakistan
- Louisiana Creationists Want to Ban Biology Textbooks That Teach Evolution
- What madness will the NY Times take seriously next?
- Is Paganism a dangerous cult? The Daily Mail investigates...
- Science finds the plane truth about in-flight meals
Friday, November 12, 2010
The Great Debate: Can Science Tell Us Right From Wrong?
From The Science Network:
On November 6th, 2010 a panel of renowned scientists, philosophers, and public intellectuals gathered to discuss what impact evolutionary theory and advances in neuroscience might have on traditional concepts of morality. If human morality is an evolutionary adaptation and if neuroscientists can identify specific brain circuitry governing moral judgment, can scientists determine what is, in fact, right and wrong?(Thanks Elin)
The panelists were psychologist Steven Pinker, author Sam Harris, philosopher Patricia Churchland, physicist Lawrence Krauss, philosopher Simon Blackburn, bioethicist Peter Singer and The Science Network’s Roger Bingham.
...
Watch the full debate on TSN
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Consider Humanism: The Largest Atheist Ad Campaign In History
From Friendly Atheist:
Today, the American Humanist Association is launching the largest atheist ad campaign in history. It challenges Biblical morality and fundamentalist Christianity and it’s bound to get a lot of attention.
There will be a TV commercial during Dateline NBC this Friday night.
There will be billboards in Idaho and Philadelphia and bus ads in Washington D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
There will be ads on cable TV, ads in magazines like Reason and The Progressive, and ads in newspapers in places like USA Today, the Seattle Times, and the Village Voice all “demonstrating that secular humanist values are consistent with mainstream America and that fundamentalist religion has no right to claim the moral high ground.”
...
Read more about the campaign and see the ads at FriendlyAtheist.com
Monday, November 8, 2010
Carl Sagan's Last Interview
Carl Sagan gave his last interview with Charlie rose on May 27th 1996. He discussed pseudo-science, religion, unfounded claims, his personal love affair with science and his struggle with myelodysplasia as well as other elements of his last book: The Demon-Haunted World.
"Better the hard truth, I say, than the comforting fantasy. And in the final tolling it often turns out that the facts are more comforting than the fantasy."
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Weekend Links
- "Protest the Pope" in Barcelona (Video)
- Pie in the face for controversial Belgian Catholic archbishop (video)
- Ray Comfort meets Richard Dawkins ...almost (Video)
- Pope urges Spain to shun secularism
- 10 Commonly Believed Myths about the Human Body
- Chatbot Debates Climate Change Deniers on Twitter so You Don’t Have to
- Atheists can be stupid, too
Friday, November 5, 2010
Christopher Hitchens on Louis Farrakhan & The Pope
Clip from the Afterlife Debate with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, September 16, 2010, New York.(via Daily Hitchens)
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Mr. Deity and the Casting Call
by Mr. Deity
Mr. Deity looks for someone to play the role of Savior in his new universe.(via RichardDawkins.net)
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
'Bionic' Eye Success In Sight
November 3, 2010 on Al-Jazeera English
Bionic eyes were once thought to be the creation of science fiction, but now doctors in Germany have developed a computer chip that could help restore the sight of hundreds of thousands of blind people.(Thanks Andrew)
Retinal implants are able to partially restore the vision of people with particular forms of blindness caused by diseases such as macular degeneration or retinitis pigmentosa.
About 200,000 people worldwide have retinitis pigmentosa, and one in 10 people over the age of 55 have age-related macular degeneration.
The experimental chip has been tested on three men with astonishing results.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
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