If you’re looking for the latest on the BCA v Singh case, the craziest religious responses to the most devastating earthquake in decades (as well as a better way to make your donations) and plenty more, you’ve come to the right place. It’s all here in this latest roundup of the week’s sceptical blogging and news.

Secular Help for Haiti

The devastating earthquake suffered by the people of Haiti last week, has been described as the worst in decades. In response, the James Randi Educational Foundation and the Richard Dawkins Foundation, along with other skeptic and secular organisations, have teamed up to create a portal through which you can donate money to relief organisations with no religious angle. The two that have been selected in this case are International Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders (Médecins sans Frontières). 100% of the money you donate will be given to these organisations as Dawkins will personally donate the money to cover the PayPal fees.

Click here to donate.

[Via Richard Dawkins]

Earthquake Survivors Get Solar Powered Bibles

In case you are unconvinced of the virtues of separating relief work with religious affiliation, here is an example of the uselessness that can arise at the crazy end of the spectrum: Earthquake survivors in Haiti are being donated solar powered, audio-Bibles. According to the donating group, Faith Comes By Healing’s website, the devices are “self-powered and can play the Bible in the Jungle, desert or … even the moon!” I’m not sure how well the audio works there though.

[Via Derren Brown Blog]

Funniest Clips from Atheist Stand-Up Comedians

Wind down your week with some religion-mocking clips from some fine, and some not-so-fine, stand-up comedians. Needless to say, Ricky Gervais’ clip is the best, and the one that you should both start and end with.

[Via Common Sense Atheism]

BBC2 Horizon, ‘Pill Poppers’ (and the Medicalisation of Sex)

According to the program’s website, “over a person’s lifetime they are likely to be prescribed more than 14 000 pills”. The premise of this week’s Horizon was to ask how much we really know about the drugs that we consume. The program goes on to illustrate how “drug discovery often owes as much to serendipity [Ricky Gervais’ least favorite word] as to science”. Although it does suffer the same pitfalls as so many programs like it – dumbing-down the material and laboring the point – the program still manages to present the viewer with an interesting window into the pharmaceutical industry and features a short word from the excellent blogger Dr Petra Boyton.

Watch the full video here (Unfortunately this video is available to UK residents only).

[Via Dr Petra Boynton]

In Defence of Mr Justice Eady

Those who have been following the BCA v Singh case will be aware that Mr Justice Eady, the case’s ruling judge, has recently come under fire for his decision that Singh’s use of the word ‘bogus’ implied that the BCA knowingly promotes bogus treatments. Singh has been allowed to appeal, but if this decision sticks it will dramatically reduce the likelihood of his being found innocent of libel.

In an excellent article that manages to remain readable and enjoyable to the layperson despite its legal content, Lucifee defends Eady and concludes that the tabloids’ attack on him is rarely a result of their allegence with Singh, but rather their own agenda to be allowed to publish “any slimy little story they want”.

[Via Jack of Kent]

Sign up to the Libel Reform Campaign here.

Hate to iBurst Your Bubble but…

Residents of Craigavon have recently been fighting a battle against iBurst, demanding that they remove a monsterous [sic] mobile tower whose evil microwaves have been afflicting them with conditions including rashes, headaches and disrupted sleeping patterns. The protesters were sure of the causality, because some had claimed that upon leaving the area their ailments were quickly relieved, only to return as soon as they arrived back in town. What they didn’t know however, was that the tower had been switched off six weeks before the meeting at which they confirmed their continued ailments. Oops.

Also worth checking out is this pretty amazing case of a builder who experienced tremendous physical pain for purely psychological reasons. A builder!

[Via Derren Brown Blog]

U.S. Military Rifle Scopes Inscribed With Bible Verses

Despite the US’s intention and obligation to ensure that the military’s efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan are not perceived to be religious wars, it has been revealed that some gun sights supplied to the US army are inscribed, by the manufacturer Trijicon, with references to Bible passages. This irresponsibility has justifiably led soldiers to worry that their perceived proselytising will ignite hostility among the Muslims with whom they work as well as those they are fighting against.

Watch the MSNBC coverage of the story here.

[Via Discover Blogs]

I had originally included the following links because early reports of this story claimed that the inscriptions were cryptically coded. Now that it has been revealed that, for example, JN8:12 = John 8:12 (not too difficult to decipher if you ask me), they hardly seem relevant, but what the hell, they’re interesting in their own right.  

Watch Michael Shermer debunk the supposedly coded predictions wrapped up in the text of the Bible here, and if you find that interesting you can read Ben Goldacre’s post on a similar subject here.

Twitter Terrorist

The other day a friend of mine was questioned under suspicion of intentions to commit terrorism, for joking within earshot of a member of airport staff who had just finished searching him, “Good thing he didn’t check down the back of my leg.” Not the brightest of my friends I hasten to add. I would not think someone stupid however, for twittering amidst his concerns of the snow “Robin Hood airport is closed. You’ve got a week and a bit to get your shit together, otherwise I’m blowing the airport sky high!!” But that is exactly what one twitterer did, and it resulted in his arrest and seven hours of police questioning. I’ve heard of the YouTube spelling police, but that is ridiculous.

[Via Derren Brown Blog]

God is an Advert

Presumably as a rebuttal to the Atheist subway ads in New York and the Atheist bus campaign, the Times Square Church have branded around 1000 subway cars with the advert you see below. Let the battle commence.

[Via Friendly Atheist]

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Please feel free to leave a comment and I will do my best to reply as quickly as possible. Until next time, take care of yourself, and each other.

If you come across something that you think our readers would enjoy, send a tip my way at will [at] skeptic [dot] org [dot] uk.

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