At 4pm on Sunday 2nd August, BHA member and “Happy Humanist” Andrew West, aka Krypto, used his hour on the 4th plinth in Trafalger Square to teach a group of atheists, and anyone else who wanted to join in, how to dance Michael Jackson’s Thriller dance routine. You can watch his dance lesson here. Our member Simon Bishop was there to take photos.

A creationist exam syllabus for evangelical Christians that orginated in Texas in the 1970s has been ruled equivalent to international A levels by a UK government agency, despite teaching that the Loch Ness monster disproves evolution and racial segregation is beneficial. The Times Edicational Supplement reports that – Hundreds of teenagers at around 50 private Christian schools in Britain study for the certificates, as well as several home-educated students.

I try to resist watching The Big Questions on BBC TV (Sunday mornings), as it only makes me cross. They never give anyone time to develop an argument and it often ends up as a shouting match. Last Sunday (you have until the weekend to watch on i-player), the last question was “Is atheism an intolerant belief?”, so you knew it was going to be silly. Belief? Atheism is a lack of belief.

Via a Facebook friend, a message from a doctor serving in Afghanistan: A request for support from a doctor serving in Kandahar Hospital, Afghanistan, who tells of some of the awful injuries suffered by many children as a result of the fighting. He has asked if people could parcel together a few toys, colouring books, toy cars, soft toys (but not dogs), and post to him: 5766271 Captain A J Stubbs, UK-JF Med Gp, Op Herrick 10b, BFPO772.

This was first posted in November 2007, but has been updated several times. I don’t know how many American missionaries there are, or where they all are, but there are a lot of them. I’ve previously posted a story about the Joshua Project: Our Mission … to highlight the people groups of the world that have the least Christian presence in their midst and to encourage pioneer church-planting among every ethnic people group.

If you missed Tom Boles’ talk about the Hubble space telescope and what it’s revealed about the universe at our July meeting, this might give you an idea of what you missed.

Via the NSS, ‘A new survey by the Center for Inquiry entitled “Profiles of the Godless” (pdf), examines both the preferred labels that non-believers attach to themselves and the personality types that tend to be connected with those labels.’ It notes that ‘non-religious people tend to be highly educated, unmarried males who are intellectually adventurous but personally “less agreeable”.’ Surely not!

The gay Humanist charity the Pink Triangle Trust (PTT) has warmly welcomed the decision of Richard Dawkins to back the campaign to win an official apology for Alan Turing, the code-breaking genius and father of the modern computer who committed suicide in 1954 after being prosecuted for being homosexual. More than 2,500 people have now added their name to the on-line petition calling for the Government to recognise the “consequences of prejudice” that ended the life of the scientist aged just 41.

Today is World Humanitarian Day. This explanation is from the World Humanitarian Day website: The General Assembly of the United Nations adopted in its Plenary Session on 11th December 2008, the Swedish sponsored Omnibus Resolution on Strengthening of the Coordination of Emergency Humanitarian Assistance of the United Nations, that carried the historic decision by the world body, to designate the 19th August as World Humanitarian Day to honor all humanitarian and the United Nations and associated personnel who have lost their lives in the cause of duty and those who have worked in the promotion of the humanitarian cause.

I’ve blogged about the release of Al Megrahi and have exchanged comments with freethinking friends on Twitter, who agreed with MacAskill’s decision. The issue has been confused by misunderstanding and bad journalism. What do you think?

I was amused to get the latest Suffolk Inter-Faith Resource (SIFRE) programme in today’s post, with a picture of the atheist bus to illustrate Humanism. We’re affiliated to SIFRE – it means that we’re included in all sorts of consultations and educational programmes that we’d otherwise miss.

Churchgate Street, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 1RH

Martin Bell will be at the Unitarian Meeting House in Churchgate Street, Bury St Edmunds. This event is being sponsored by the Unitarian Trustees in association with Amnesty International, United Nations Association and Suffolk Inter-Faith Resource. Admission by ticket only. Contact Martin Gienke, martin@gienke.net, 01223 882426 or 0845 456 0091.