This is the weekly Humanist Network News summary. The HNN is the weekly e-zine of the Institute for Humanist Studies.
(cross posted at Daily Kos)
Week of May 30, 2005
Humanist Network News
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
- Human rights and wrongs
- American humanist wins Oxford debate
- Heart of the Beholder gets British premiere
- Native-Americans seek Constitutional advice from IHS
- GE brings good humanists to life?
- A conscience clause for pharmacists?
- IHS in the News: human rights, 10 C, ID
- The Canadian Right is finally “outing” itself
- Film Review — Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room
- Rationally Speaking: On Holy Books
- Letters to the Editor
- Media Roundup
- Cathartic Comics
- Humanist Humor
- Poll of the Week
See across the bump for summaries and links. As always, feel free to write an in-depth diary on any of these articles.
1. Human rights and wrongs
Matt Cherry, executive director of the Institute for Humanist Studies, examines the recent allegations that the United States has bee violating fundamental human rights in its “War on Terror.” MORE
2. American humanist wins Oxford debate
Herb Silverman, president of the Secular Coalition for America, recently participated in a debate at the Oxford Union in England. The topic was whether or not American religion undermines American values. MORE
3. Heart of the Beholder gets British premiere
The long-anticipated American film Heart of the Beholder is to be given a British premiere showing at a film event organized by the Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association. MORE
4. Native-Americans seek Constitutional advice from IHS
The Institute of Humanist Studies often receives constitutional inquiries concerning church/state separation issues. But one recent referral from a legal counsel representing a New York Native-American tribe caught the attention of our Public Policy Director Tim Gordinier. MORE
5. GE brings good humanists to life?
Last week Larry Jones, president of the Institute for Humanist Studies, joined another humanist president for lunch in New York City — Kurt Vonnegut. It turns out the two have more than humanism in common. They also both worked for General Electric in Schenectady, N.Y. MORE
6. A conscience clause for pharmacists?
Tim Gordinier, public policy director of the Institute for Humanist Studies, takes a look at the pharmacy conscience controversy regarding emergency contraception. MORE
7. IHS in the News: human rights, 10 C, ID
Matt Cherry, executive director of the Institute for Humanist Studies, appeared on two radio programs over the weekend to discuss Amnesty International’s recent accusations that the United States is violating fundamental human rights in its war on terror. One of the programs was an hour-long call-in show on Chicago’s “Radio Islam.” MORE
8. The Canadian Right is finally “outing” itself
When Canadian Member of Parliament Belinda Stronach crossed the floor to become a Liberal, she acted as a catalyst for a change in the Conservative Party she left. Canadian columnist Doug Thomas examines what this means for humanists in Canada. MORE
9. Film Review — Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room
Larry Jones, president of the Institute for Humanist Studies, reviews the new documentary about Enron. MORE
10. Rationally Speaking: On Holy Books
Columnist Massimo Pigliucci takes a look at the recent Newsweek reporting controversy. MORE
11. Letters to the Editor
Letters on intelligent design, the AU high school graduation lawsuit and IHS support for gay and lesbian rights. MORE
12. Media Roundup
“Smithsonian to Screen a Movie That Makes a Case Against Evolution”,”Abortion Award From University in Canada Proves Costly”,”Court upholds inmates’ religious rights law”. MORE
13. Cathartic Comics
…an assortment of cartoons and comic strips about humanism, atheism, religion, science and freethought. LINK
14. Humanist Humor
An argument over a donkey gets biblical. READ THE JOKE
15. Poll of the Week
The United States has been accused of violating fundamental human rights during its war on terror. How should the U.S. government respond to these accusations? CAST YOUR VOTE
About HNN
Questions, comments, concerns, got a better joke or a story? Send a letter to the editor: http://humaniststudies.org/letter_to_editor.html . The Humanist Network News (HNN) is published every Wednesday via e-mail and the IHS Web site (www.humaniststudies.org). This diary is a copy of the weekly email (slightly reformatted).
Learn about humanism interactively – explore the Continuum of Humanist Education