Launched in a response to religious advertising on buses in the United Kingdom, the Atheist Bus Campaign began when comedy writer Ariane Sherine saw an ad on a London bus featuring the Bible quote, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find Faith on this Earth?” [sic]. A website URL ran underneath the quote, and when Ms. Sherine visited the site she learned that, as a non-believer, she would be “condemned to everlasting separation from God and then spend all eternity in torment in hell”. Heaven forbid.

Unsettled that religious groups were allowed to advertise websites which warned that the non-religious would face torture at the end of their lives, Ms. Sherine pitched and began to write a comment piece for The Guardian’s Cif (Comment is free) website, called Atheists - Gimme Five back in June of 2008. As part of her research for the piece, she called the Advertising Standards Authority, but was told that the website advertised wasn’t part of their remit. At the end of her article, keen to suggest a solution, she proposed:

[if all atheists reading this] contribute £5, it’s possible that we can fund a much-needed atheist London bus ad with the slogan: “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and [enjoy] your life.”

To Sherine’s surprise and excitement, the majority of reader comments under the article were very positive and enthusiastic about the idea, with dozens of commenters offering to contribute to the campaign.

Political blogger Jon Worth read the piece, thought the proposal was a smart and sweet idea, and emailed Sherine asking if he could set up a Pledgebank page, where readers could pledge to donate to the campaign. The Pledgebank link was placed in the comments of the original article, and although the piece was archived after three days, dozens of blogs picked up on the idea and it spread across the internet.

Supported by the scientist and author Richard Dawkins, the philosopher A. C. Grayling and the British Humanist Association, among others, the campaign raised nearly $150,000 in four days. Now it has more than $200,000, and last Wednesday it unveiled its advertisements on 800 buses across Britain.

“There’s probably no God,” the advertisements say. “Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.”

More from the New York Times.

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Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN), the only Muslim in the US Congress, talks to Al Jazeera’s Shihab Rattansi about the Israeli offensive in Gaza and why he feels so few US politicians understand the Middle East.

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I’ve been reading up on this over the past couple of days. I’m still not ready to make a full report but here’s Democracy Now weighing in with a report.

New Trouble For An Obama Nominee: Admiral Dennis Blair Aided Perpetrators of 1999 Church Killings In East Timor

Investigative journalist Allan Nairn reveals Admiral Dennis Blair played a critical role in backing the Indonesian occupation of East Timor during the 1990s. At the height of a wave of ruthless attacks on Timorese that killed hundreds and displaced tens of thousands, Blair personally informed top Indonesian general Wiranto of unwavering U.S. support. He continued to support the Indonesian military until international outcry forced the Clinton administration to withdraw its military and diplomatic backing.

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Blessed are the gatekeepers, for theirs is the power to getting things done.

If President-elect Obama thought that changing the way Washington works was going to be a breeze, he got his first lesson in comeuppance with his selection of Leon Panetta to head the Central Intelligence Agency. His mistake wasn’t the choice per se but rather not checking with the gatekeepers, the Washington power brokers pertinent to this decision. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), the incoming chairperson of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said she was surprised by the pick and complained that she wasn’t consulted. That’s one gatekeeper with ruffled feathers. Another gatekeeper not reckoned with, and therefore not terribly amused, was the outgoing chairperson Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV). Through an aide, the long-serving member of the Intelligence Committee let it be known that while he “has tremendous respect for Leon Panetta” the aide said that Senator Rockefeller “believes the CIA director should go to someone who has significant intelligence experience and someone from outside the political world of Washington DC.”

Had these gatekeepers been consulted prior to announcing the selection, I suspect their tone would have been more conciliatory and supportive. Certainly, we would have fewer ruffled feathers.

Even Senator “for two more weeks” Joe Biden conceded it was a “mistake” in not consulting the Senate’s gatekeepers before tapping Leon Panetta to head the CIA.

“I’m still a Senate man and I always think this way,” he told reporters in the Capitol. “I think it’s always good to talk to the requisite members of Congress.”

Yup. It’s always good to talk to the gatekeepers. In doing so, Obama will likely get his way more often than not but ruffle their features by pulling surprises seems like a recipe for not getting things accomplished. Blessed are the gatekeepers. I suspect some aspects of Washington will never change.

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The old adage of “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again” might serve Roland Burris well in his attempt to become the junior Senator from Illinois. He may actually need only to try but once for it seems the unity of the Democrats in blocking the appointment has collapsed. Dianne Feinstein, the senior Senator from California is urging the Senate to settle the matter and by settle she means sitting Burris.

“If you don’t seat Mr. Burris, it has ramifications for gubernatorial appointments all over America,” the California senator said. “Mr. Burris is a senior, experienced politician. He has been attorney general, he has been controller, and he is very well-respected. I am hopeful that this will be settled.”

Senator Feinstein who chairs the Senate Rules Committee, which judges the credentials of senators argues that the governor has the power under the law to make the appointment.  

More from MSNBC. I am not a lawyer so I have no idea the legality of all this but as a political observer I can only say this entire episode is such a tragic comedy. If the appointment is, in fact, legal then there isn’t any point in any further discussions that only serve to distract from the important business facing the nation. So is this appointment legal or not? To answer this question should not consume the nation.

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Accusations of media bias are frequent in the current conflict in Gaza. Israel banned foreign reporters from the war zone, adding to communication difficulties.

Martin Savidge speaks with two Worldfocus producers about their background and knowledge of international media. Mohammad al-Kassim is a Palestinian-American raised in Jerusalem and Yuval Lion is an Israeli citizen who has family remaining in Israel.

In the first part of a series of discussions, they share what they are hearing from on the ground and discuss media coverage of the Gaza war, both internationally and in Israel and the Arab world.

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A week and a half since Israel started its campaign in Gaza and there is now talk of the conflict spilling into other parts of the region.

As diplomats and political leaders throughout the Middle East scramble to find ways to bring an end to the war, can a prolonged battle with an increasing number of victims spill into neighbouring countries?

Inside Story, presenter David Foster is joined by Timur Goksel, a former senior advisor of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon; Mounzer Sleiman, the director of the Center for American and Arab Studies in Washington DC; and Robert Jordan, a former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

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A new commercila from T. Boone Pickens and the Pickens Plan.

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Massive protests around the world have spread since the Israeli ground invasion into Gaza began, and Egypt and Jordan remain among the criticized for their ties to Israel.

Geneive Abdo of the Century Foundation speaks with Martin Savidge about the Arab protests around the world, Iran’s role in this response and the possible dissolution of the international hope associated with Barack Obama’s election.

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Former US Marine Josh Rushing reports on how the US prisons in Iraq are turning into big business. He visits the world’s biggest arms exposition and travels to Iraq to see how one prison is attempting a new strategy with its inmates.

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