| Why Atheists Are Such Lousy Debaters
I watched the movie "The Great Debaters" last night, and it helped me to understand why atheists are such bad debaters. The movie portrays four students from a little black college in Texas, and shows how, under the tutelage of their pugnacious coach, they went on to defeat Almighty Harvard. Denzel Washington, who plays the coach, says early in the movie that debate is a kind of bloodsport. It's great virtue is that it puts rival ideas up against each other, as argued by people who passionately espouse those ideas, and then it lets the truth emerge through a kind of gladiatorial elimination. For about three years, it appeared as though the leading atheists were formidable debaters. But the reason was that Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens were selecting weak opponents and then generally giving them a public whipping.
King's dream alive 40 years later
Elementary School, recalling the 1955 Montgomery, Ala. bus boycott that marked the beginning of the civil rights era. Edwards did not write the words he spoke -- they belonged to King. But, the passion he called upon to recite them made it clear that the youth understood the spirit and intent of the civil rights leader's message. About 150 students enrolled in Muskegon Heights Public Schools took turns using song, dance and acting skills to re-enact pivotal moments in King's life. The students performed in front of an audience of nearly 750 who gathered Sunday evening at the Waters Performing Arts Center at Muskegon Heights High School. High school seniors Jasmine Muhammad and Brittany Holmes told the audience that the event was designed to celebrate King's legacy and, hopefully, inspire others to continue fighting for equality and justice for all.
Triathlete Royce Laine Jr. meets challenges head-on
Royce Laine, Jr., son of Royce Laine of Lake Isabella, has gotten a new lease on life through fitness, and has inspired people across the nation to get moving. A former triathalete who had planned on someday going pro, Laine had been honorably discharged from the Air Force as a disabled veteran due to cumulative back injuries when he had a freak accident that lost him the use of his legs forever. While at a local men's basketball game twelve years ago, Laine ran onto the court to celebrate his team's win and get on T.V. When he reached the floor, he dropped his t-shirt and slipped while picking it up, and was subsequently trampled by the crowd, crushing his spine. 'I got onto T.V. the wrong way,' he said. Until 2006, Laine used a power wheelchair that allowed him to get out of shape and become angry at the world.
CAMPO takes on transit – where the rubber doesn't meet the road
Equally broad-spectrum are the plans, funding sources, and authorized service areas of the cities and transit entities presenting: Capital Metro, the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority, and the Austin-San Antonio Intermunicipal Commuter Rail District. What's most striking thus far is how close Austin and the region could be to a collaborative solution, if – and it's a big if – the money can be cobbled together. An impressive amount of planning for passenger-rail transit already has been done, albeit in a fragmented fashion. Continued Barton, "Timing is everything, and I have a sense that we might be at a place in the region's history, and in the zeitgeist, where we are all ready to sing 'Kumbaya,' or maybe 'Happy Trails,' together." "This is a historical moment, a remarkable moment!" celebrated Brewster McCracken, vice chair of the group, at its Jan.
The week in seven stories
Keen told MPs that the risk of a nuclear accident was one in 1,000. One in a million is an acceptable level of risk internationally. Health Minister Tony Clement said cancer patients in Canada and other countries were going without crucial therapies while Keen split hairs over safety issues. His cabinet colleague, Gary Lunn, whose natural resources portfolio includes responsibility for Atomic Energy of Canada, warned that "people would have died" if the shutdown had continued and dismissed opposition calls for an inquiry. Angry Liberal MPs said they'd be keeping an eye on the nuclear safety issue and wouldn't let up in their calls for a public investigation of the affair. Medical isotopes explained Afghanistan 'failing' Canada could leave Afghanistan next year if NATO countries don't pony up more soldiers.
Britney Spears A Spaced Odyssey, As Told By Sam Lutfi
UsWeekly is in conversation with Osama Lutfi, manager and confident to Britney Spears. Says he: "The British accent is part of the mania. She'll stick to the British accent because she becomes comfortable with it… But you know, when the pink wig comes on, it's getting bad." The correct wig to accompany a British accent is, naturally, a red , white a blue one, or something by Man At Elton John. Lutfi then says how he gave Britney "a handful of sleeping pills" before she was sent to the hospital. He told her: "I said these pills are working wonders, they are miracle pills." If you take them all, the miracle is that you ever wake up again. Or else pink angels descend on strings of strawberry liquorice. Tis miraculous. The ambulance is here now, Britney.
Funeral Arrangements For Ledger Set
There were six different types of prescription drugs in the apartment, including pills to treat insomnia and anxiety, and an antihistamine, according to two law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing. A rolled-up $20 bill was found on the floor near the bed, but New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne said lab tests found nothing to indicate the bill had been used to snort drugs. Police also said no illegal drugs were found in the apartment. The law enforcement officials said three of the drugs were prescribed in Europe. Ledger had recently been filming in London. Police have said Ledger's death may have been caused by a drug overdose and appeared to be accidental. On Thursday, the makeshift memorial outside Ledger's apartment building had grown to more than 100 bouquets including tulips, daisies, carnations and tropical flowers, along with candles, signs, notes and other memorials.
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