Nothing new under the sun

One of the blessings we recite in the morning before studying Torah or before being called to an aliyah is said in the present tense – notain hatorah ("who gives us the Torah") – to indicate that G‑d gives us the Torah every day. It is just as relevant today as thousands of years ago.
The author of Ecclesiastes wrote, "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun." (The lyrics to the song in the video link below are these words in Hebrew.)
The same week that we read in Parshat Noach about the Dor Haflagah who sought to rebel against G-d by building the tower of Babel, The New York Times published an article about atheism.
Atheism is coming to the subway — or at least subway ads promoting it are. Starting next Monday, a coalition of local groups will run a monthlong advertising campaign in a dozen Manhattan subway stations with the slogan “A Million New Yorkers Are Good Without God. Are You?”
Read more:
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/19/good-without-god-atheist-subway-ads-proclaim/

The following is a devar Torah by Yair Manas.
In this week’s Parsha, Parshat Noach, the Torah tells us of 2 generations of sinners, The Dor Hamabul (the generation of the flood), and the Dor Haflagah (the generation of division). The Dor Hamabul lost their fear in Hashem. They partook in all types of immoral and destructive activity, as the Torah states, ותמלא הארץ חמס “The Earth was filled with robbery” (6:11). In short, the description of the Dor Hamabul is very bad.
Yet, the Dor Haflaga is even worse. The Dor Haflaga lost themselves even more. They rebelled directly against Hashem’s authority. They attempted to build a tower, go up to Heaven, and conquer the heavens (Bereishit Rabbah 38:7). This is defiance at its peak.
However, if we examine their respective punishments, we find something very interesting. The Dor Hamabul was wiped off the face of the Earth, while the Dor Haflaga was only dispersed around the world. Why was the punishment of the Dor Hamabul more severe if it appears that the sin of the Dor Haflaga was a graver sin? Why did Hashem punish the Dor Haflaga with such leniency?
Chazal explain that there was a substantial merit that the Dor Haflaga possessed that the Dor Hamabul did not. As rebellious and defiant towards Hashem as they were, the Dor Haflaga possessed Shalom, peace, which brought leniency toward them. As wicked as they were, there was still peace and harmony among them. The Dor Hamabul was filled with robbery and crimes, which are Bain Adam Lechaveiro. Therefore there is a more lenient punishment for the Dor Haflaga.
http://koltorah.org/volume11/6%20Noach.htm