Dollhouse creator Joss Whedon, Star Trek executive, NYT & other news on Humanism

Joss Wheddon at Harvard University

Just some quick newsbits happening lately:

• Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, and Dollhouse, spoke about Humanism in April. He spoke after receiving the Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award in Cultural Humanism at Harvard University's Memorial Church. Wheddon, himself a secular Humanist, in pressing for more education noted, "The enemy of Humanism is not faith. The enemy of Humanism is hate, is fear, is ignorance..."
  [see the video]
   
• Speaking of hate, the Humanist magazine's blog Rant & Reason just posted a good explanation of the hate crimes legislation recently passed in the U.S. House of Representatives, which expands hate crimes to cover sexual orientation, sexual identity, disability, and gender. Along the way, they answer many of the criticisms aimed at it.
  [see the article]
   
• With the new Star Trek movie releasing in the U.S. in two weeks, I thought it appropriate to mention this tidbit: the Indiana Daily Student recently reported that Susan Sackett, who worked with Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, spoke about his Humanism and humanist themes in Star Trek. The talk was given on the Indiana University campus. I had the pleasure of dining with Ms. Sackett when she came to Houston to give a similar presentation for the Humanists of Houston. As a big Star Trek fan, it was fun to hear her stories.
  [see the article]
   
• The New York Times just featured an article about the rise of atheism/Humanism. I've seen the link online, but not the physical paper. However, I heard it was front page. While the exposure for Humanist groups is great, the article seems to mesh atheism and Humanism a little too much in my view. Humanists may be non-theistic, but not all atheists are Humanists. Still, I suppose it's best not to look a gift horse in the mouth.
  [see the article]
   
• Last but not least, the American Humanist Association (AHA) is holding it's 58th Annual Conference in Phoenix, Arizona this June 5-7, 2009. These conferences feature big name authors and speakers on a wide variety of important and fascinating topics. If you're interested in learning more about it or attending, I suggest checking out their site and registering.
  [conference info here]

Many thanks to my Tweeps: cameo, CFIOnCampus, TorieA for passing along much of this news. Check back soon for more articles on ethics, values, spirituality, and Humanist living!