The Islamic State - Vice

August 2014 on Vice

The Islamic State, a hardline Sunni jihadist group that formerly had ties to al Qaeda, has conquered large swathes of Iraq and Syria. Previously known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the group has announced its intention to reestablish the caliphate and has declared its leader, the shadowy Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, as the caliph.

The lightning advances the Islamic State made across Syria and Iraq in June shocked the world. But it's not just the group's military victories that have garnered attention — it's also the pace with which its members have begun to carve out a viable state.

Flush with cash and US weapons seized during its advances in Iraq, the Islamic State's expansion shows no sign of slowing down. In the first week of August alone, Islamic State fighters have taken over new areas in northern Iraq, encroaching on Kurdish territory and sending Christians and other minorities fleeing as reports of massacres emerged.

VICE News reporter Medyan Dairieh spent three weeks embedded with the Islamic State, gaining unprecedented access to the group in Iraq and Syria as the first and only journalist to document its inner workings.

FOX: Megyn Kelly Brawls With Atheist Over 'God' in Air Force Oath

October 24, 2013 on Fox News

Megyn Kelly took on former Air Force office and atheist Mikey Weinstein on Wednesday over the invocation of God in the Air Force oath, with the conversation getting so heated Kelly had to practically shout, "Mikey, chill!" at one point. Weinstein also sporadically mocked the "Fox world" he jumped into and got so frustrated he told Kelly he would try to speak in one-syllable words only.

Kelly asked Weinstein why he just can't let the invocation of God be optional. Weinstein shot back, "That's like saying why don't you just opt out of robbing a bank! Because robbing a bank violates the law."

An Atheist, a Jew, and a Christian Walk Into Fox to Battle Over Religion in Government

October 15, 2013 on FOX News with David Silverman, Rabbi Aryeh Spero and Father Jonathan Morris.

Pastor Asks Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd Why He Supports Gay Marriage

September 2, 2013 on Q&A (ABC TV Australia)
(Thanks Doug)

Are Atheists Smarter Than Religious People? - BBC

August 18, 2013 on BBC One

11-Year-Old Girl From Yemen Flees Arranged Marriage, Posts YouTube Video Telling Her Story

From Global News Canada:

A video posted on LiveLeak and YouTube on Sunday tells the story of an 11-year-old girl from Yemen called Nada Al-Ahdal.

Looking right into the camera, Nada says her parents tried to force her into an arranged marriage but she fled to her uncle’s house, who works as a graphic artist for a local TV station.

She talks about how in Yemen it is common for kids to commit suicide if they are forced into marriage, and how some children’s lives are stolen from them.

Nada is now waiting in hopes that journalists, human-rights activists and different local organizations will help her make a strong case against her parents who are trying to get her back so they can go on with the marriage process.

Yemeni law states that girls of any age are allowed to wed, and according to the United Nations, Yemen has the second youngest population in the world as there are so many young brides.

Nada’s video has now been viewed more than two million times on YouTube.

(via RDnet)

Sunday Morning Live: Is There Room For Religion in the Classroom? - BBC

July 21, 2013 on BBC One

Neil deGrasse Tyson's COSMOS (Official Trailer)

Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, originally aired as a thirteen-part television series in 1980 that saw Carl Sagan elucidating the mysteries of the universe and life's origins for a mass audience. Though the original was and is still fantastic, the show does look dated at this point, and modern public is used to a little more, say, flare in their space CGI. But from the looks of the trailer, Neil deGrasse Tyson is more than answering that call. The new, also 13-part series will be airing on Fox sometime in Spring of 2014.

(via Gizmodo)

Lawrence Krauss: Atheism and the Spirit of Science

July 4, 2013 on TVO:

The unmovable mover, the first cause, the Big Bang. For centuries, we have grappled with the moment of creation: How did something come from nothing? Physicist Lawrence Krauss says it just does. In fact, he says 70% of the energy in our universe is contained in the empty space between quarks, atoms, and galaxies. He sits down with Steve Paikin to discuss the notion of a creator-less universe, and how science can be spiritual.

Creating Museum Adding Dragons and Zip Lines to Counter Low Attendance

Just for Hits - Richard Dawkins

Evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins introduces the Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors' Showcase 2013 in Cannes and spreads his memes.

Comedian Doug Stanhope Raises $100K for Atheist Who Lost Her Home in Oklahoma Tornado

Update: Donation page

Rebecca Vitsmun made headlines around the world last week when CNN's Wolf Blitzer was caught off guard on live TV by the victim of the recent Moore, Oklahoma tornado. Blitzer asked Vitsmun if she thanked "the Lord" for being spared in the storm, only for the woman to respond, "I'm actually an atheist." Blitzer was taken aback, but not Doug Stanhope — an award-winning stand-up comedian and 'devout' atheist in his own right.

Stanhope started a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for Vitsmun and her family and has so far managed to bring in over $100,000 — well past his $50,000 goal — as part of his "Atheists Unite" effort.

Stanhope says "it's important that our community shows that we have your back when you come out publicly as an atheist" and pleaded with fans: "Let's show the world that you don't need to believe in a god to have human compassion nor does all charity fall under the banner of religion."

Pope Francis Says Atheists Can Be Good

From The Guardian:

Atheists should be seen as good people if they do good, Pope Francis has said in his latest urging that people of all religions, and none, work together.

The leader of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics made his comments in the homily of his morning mass at his residence, a daily event at which he speaks without prepared comments.

He told the story of a Catholic who asked a priest if even atheists had been redeemed by Jesus.

"Even them, everyone," the pope answered, according to Vatican Radio. "We all have the duty to do good," he said.

"Just do good, and we'll find a meeting point," the pope said in a hypothetical reply to the hypothetical comment: "But I don't believe. I'm an atheist."

Francis's reaching out to atheists and people who belong to no religion is in marked contrast to the attitude of his predecessor, Benedict, who sometimes prompted complaints from non-Catholics that he seemed to see them as second-class believers.

Wolf Blitzer Asks Atheist Tornado Survivor If She 'Thanks The Lord'

CNN's Wolf Blitzer unknowingly asks an atheist tornado survivor if she "thanks the Lord" for her family's safety.

"We're happy you're here. You guys did a great job," Blitzer said to Rebecca Vitsmun, who escaped from her house with her 19-month-old son right before the twister tore through it. "You've gotta thank the Lord, right? Do you thank the Lord for that split-second decision?"

Vitsmun hesitates for a moment and smiles. "I -- I'm actually an atheist," she said, laughing off the awkward moment.

"You are. All right. But you made the right call," Blitzer said.

"We are here, and I don't blame anyone for thanking the Lord," Vitsmun said.

Dawkins, Krauss Preview 'The Unbelievers' | Global News Canada

April 29, 2013 on Global News (Canada)

Richard Dawkins and Lawrence Krauss are on The Morning Show to talk about The Unbelievers, which explores the importance of science and reason in the modern world.

http://UnbelieversMovie.com/

Dawkins, Krauss on CNN to Discuss New Documentary 'The Unbelievers'

April 28, 2013 on CNN

Lawrence Krauss and Richard Dawkins discuss religion in the modern world and debate science in their new film "The Unbelievers"

New Zealand Lawmakers Break Into Maori Love Song As Parliament Approves Same Sex Marriage

From National Post:

Hundreds of jubilant gay-rights advocates celebrated at New Zealand’s Parliament on Wednesday as the country became the 13th in the world and the first in the Asia-Pacific region to legalize same-sex marriage.

Lawmakers voted 77 to 44 in favor of the gay-marriage bill on its third and final reading.

People watching from the public gallery and some lawmakers immediately broke into song after the result was announced, singing the New Zealand love song “Pokarekare Ana” in the indigenous Maori language.
Read more

BBC Panorama: Are Sharia Councils Failing Vulnerable Women?

From BBC News:

BBC Panorama has uncovered fresh evidence of how some Sharia councils in Britain may be putting Muslim women "at risk" by pressuring them to stay in abusive marriages.

In a small terraced house in east London, a woman and her husband argue before an Islamic scholar who sits on a dais above them in a room that looks and feels like a court.

This is Leyton Islamic Sharia Council, and Dr Suhaib Hasan will decide if the woman can have a divorce. Her husband is refusing to grant her one and the couple have been coming here for a year.

She accuses him of refusing to work, ignoring the children and verbally abusing her. He vehemently denies it. When Dr Hasan orders the husband to leave the room, the woman breaks down in tears.

"I hate him, I can't even bear to look at him, he has ruined my life," she sobs.

Dr Hasan sends the couple away for another month to try to save their marriage, with the help of Allah.
Read more

The Big Questions: Should Britain Become a Secular State? | BBC

March 24, 2013 on BBC One

Nicky Campbell presents a pre-recorded edition of the programme from Manor CoE School in York asking just one question - should Britain become a secular state? Among those taking part are philosopher AC Grayling, former Bishop of Rochester Rt Rev Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, Prof the Baroness Afshar from York University, Symon Hill from Ekkelsia, Rabbi Jonathan Romain from Maidenhead Synagogue, Naomi Philips from Labour Humanists, writer and academic Myriam Francois Cerrah, Gita Sahgal from Centre for Secular Space, Pastor Mark Mullins from Strangers' Rest Mission and Dr Audra Mitchell from York University.

David Silverman on FOX News: It's People Using Religion to Justify their Bigotry

March 18, 2013 on Fox News
The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told