Archive for the ‘Social’ Category

What’s more green than a Christmas tree? Not cutting it down in the first place, says a pro-environment group petitioning Rockefeller Center to end its holiday tree-lighting ceremony. The group, Save a Giant Tree, hopes to collect 10,000 signatures to persuade Rockefeller Center management to replace the tree with artwork fashioned from recycled materials. “We want to ...SHARETHIS.addE
Read more...

Californians apparently weren’t feeling the Christmas spirit during Merry Susan Hyatt’s five-month carol initiative signature collection effort. The measure failed Friday when the final signature count turned out to be only half a percent of the required 433,971, according to the secretary of state’s office. In all, 2,176 signatures were collected in California between Nov. 2 ...SHARETHIS.ad
Read more...

A federal judge in Wisconsin has declared that the 50-year standing tradition of a National Day of Prayer violates the “establishment clause” of the First Amendment which creates a separation of church and state. “I understand that many may disagree with that conclusion and some may even view it as a criticism of prayer or ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Is Christmas Next?", url
Read more...

Officials in an Illinois city said residents slow to take down their Christmas lights have only a little more than a week before they face possible fines. The seasonal decoration ordinance in Aurora, which took effect in 2006, states that outdoor holiday decorations may not be up more than 60 days before or after their celebrated ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Illinois City to Fine Residents with
Read more...

The Freedom From Religion Foundation continues to promote peace of the season by mocking religion — all in the name of freedom of speech. That’s their argument after a candidate for public office in Illinois tried to remove the customary atheist rant from right in front of the Christmas tree at the state capitol a ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "FFRF Mockery Prompts Candidate to Action
Read more...

There’s no place for angels atop Christmas trees, according to one California man who successfully lobbied for the removal of religious symbols at county buildings after spotting a yuletide decoration last week. Stars and other religious emblems were ordered removed from Christmas trees in all government buildings in Sonoma County on Monday following a complaint by ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ ti
Read more...

A poster showing Mary and Joseph heading to Bethlehem for a census and the birth of Jesus is raising eyebrows among some evangelicals, who consider it an inappropriate use of Christian symbolism for the headcount the government will conduct next year. The posters, created by the National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO), have been ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "US Government Uses
Read more...

A Garden City (Idaho) public charter school director asked students singing in a school talent show to replace the word “Christmas” with “holiday” because of the scrutiny Nampa Classical Academy has garnered regarding the use of religious texts in the classroom. Media attention over the lawsuit Nampa Classical Academy has brought against the Idaho Public Charter ...SHARETHI
Read more...

In the name of health and safety many British towns may have to forego festive lighting this holiday season. According to a report in the Telegraph stringent new regulations and huge insurance premium increases could make Christmas lights scarce. This year councils must use a pressure gauge to individually test every bolt holding a cable ...
Read more...

The American Family Association took aim at Wal Mart last year — and won. After declaring “an open mind” when it came to the use of the word “Christmas” in their advertising, Wal Mart caved and splashed “Christmas” liberally. This year, the American Family Association is targeting a more upscale outfit: Mrs. Field’s Cookies. Last ...
Read more...

For centuries, historians, scientists and scholars have debated the existence of the Star of Bethlehem in the Biblical telling of Christ’s birth. Now the existence of this celebrated, yet debated, Star has been proven by Texas lawyer and professor, Rick Larson, in the documentary, “The Star of Bethlehem,” available on DVD Oct. 23 at ...
Read more...

The votes are in — and we want high tech for Christmas this year. According to Solutions Research Group, 76% of all Americans want some sort of digital gizmo under the tree this year. Their survey of more than 1200 Americans in September 2007 shows that just about any kind of tech product easily beats ...
Read more...