Humanism on the Move

STAFF REPORT

The United Coalition of Reason (UCoR) is running bus ads in the Detroit area starting this week. The ads will appear on the side of a dozen busses starting March 4 and will read, "Don't believe in God? You are not alone." According to the UCoR website, the ads are run "to increase awareness of secular-minded groups throughout the Detroit area."

UCoR has also had billboards running in the Sacramento area for the last month. Two of those billboards were vandalized last week; one was spray painted and one was ripped down. The incidents follow the spray painting of another UCoR billboard in Sacramento just two weeks ago.

Mike Krebsbach, a press representative for Sacramento CoR, said, "It's a sad day when we have to witness such cavalier disregard of property and free speech rights. Wouldn't it have been better if those who disagreed with us had sought to open a dialogue, instead?"

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The Appignani Bioethics Center (ABC) is holding a panel discussion on women's reproductive and sexual rights crises at the United Nations on March 9 from 6:00pm to 7:30pm. Dr. Ana Lita, director of the ABC, will be moderating the group of renowned panelists, who will discuss women's health issues worldwide. A reception will follow the event, which is open to the public.

Ana Lita will also be participating in the Thirty-Fourth Annual United Nations International School-United Nations Conference. The conference allows "students a platform to express and debate their own opinions and views in arguably the most internationally significant gathering place on earth." 800 are expected to attend.

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The very popular forums on RichardDawkins.net, the website of the Richard Dawkins Foundation, have come to an abrupt halt. Dawkins claims the language and "appalling personal abuse" had gone too far. The website is slated for an upgrade and new forums–with some form of moderation–will be included. The old forums will be retained in a read-only format.

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The New Zealand Atheist Bus Campaign recently had their tentative approval to run ads on the NZ Bus system revoked. The group is appealing the decision. The ads read, "There's Probably No God. Now Stop Worrying and Enjoy Your Life." Similar ads have run on transit systems around the world.