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FEATURED ARTICLES At Mayor's Breakfast, 'Interfaith' Means Atheists, Too New York Times (blog) By DANIEL E. SLOTNIK Ed Reed For the first time, the crowd at Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's annual interfaith breakfast included atheists as well as ... http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/07/atheists-attend-mayors-interfaith-breakfast-for-the-first-time/ Christianity's role in history of US at issue Austin American-Statesman ... of four academics on the review panel — in the belief that America was intended to be a "Christian nation" with no separation between church and state. ... http://www.statesman.com/news/texas-politics/christianity-s-role-in-history-of-u-s-172516.html ATHEISM Court dismisses atheist's lawsuit regarding Fort Riley Kansas City Star AP TOPEKA | A federal judge in Kansas dismissed a lawsuit Thursday by an atheist soldier who claimed his rights were violated because he had to attend ... http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/1670238.html Irish atheists challenge new blasphemy laws Ethiopian Review But Atheist Ireland, a group that claims to represent the rights of atheists, responded to the new law by publishing 25 anti-religious quotations on its ... http://www.ethiopianreview.com/news/9369 Student, community groups bring together non-believers, free thinkers Evansville Courier & Press Susan Caldwell is a North High School senior; she says she had "wanted to attend some sort of atheist youth group for a couple of years. ... http://www.courierpress.com/news/2010/jan/09/pulling-away/ Beyond belief The Age They've shucked off their faith and become part of a growing world-wide movement - atheism. What is driving this move is a matter for debate. ... http://www.theage.com.au/national/beyond-belief-20100109-m00z.html A little like purgatory Colorado Springs Independent Their question: Where does a group inclined toward atheism belong at an institution where religion is so important to so many? ... http://www.csindy.com/colorado/a-little-like-purgatory/Content?oid=1585113 BOOKS, FILM, THEATRE, TV, YOU TUBE Materialism vs creationism Workers' Liberty The atheism of Marx and Darwin's gradual disillusionment with religion both resulted in practical attempts to free humanity from the need for it — for ... http://www.workersliberty.org/story/2010/01/07/materialism-vs-creationismhttp://www.workersliberty.org/story/2010/01/07/materialism-vs-creationism YouTube - Born Again Christian Stephen Baldwin vs Atheist Richard ... http://www.badreligion.co.ukWhat would happen if Born Again Christian Stephen Baldwin got into a debate with Atheist Richard Dawkins. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSmTPThWD_c YouTube - Special Investigation - Evolution One of the most fascinating things for me about the whole religion debate, is the quality of the arguments that come from the religious side in response to ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBHEsEshhLs Jennifer Connelly & Paul Bettany: Creation Couple Just Jared (blog) Paul, who plays Charles Darwin in the new movie Creation, recently proclaimed himself an atheist to NYMag. “I wish I did have faith,” the 38-year-old ... http://justjared.buzznet.com/2010/01/11/jennifer-connelly-paul-bettany-creation/ Common Sense Atheism » 16 Sexiest Female Atheists (with pics, of ... Of course, there are probably hundreds of sexy actresses, models, and porn stars who just aren't known as atheists, but here's a list of the sexiest female ... http://commonsenseatheism.com/?p=5926 Scientology defector tells all The Phoenix There is a anti-book for every religion including Christianity and even a anti-book on Atheism. Someone will always have a book saying something negative. ... http://thephoenix.com/Boston/arts/95598-scientology-defector-tells-all/ EVOLUTION, CREATIONISM, I.D. Oldest Land-Walker Tracks Found--Pushes Back Evolution National Geographic The finding also suggests the fins-to-limbs evolution occurred in an intertidal or lagoon environment rather than a seasonally flooded forest, as indicated ... http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/01/100106-tetrapod-tracks-oldest-footprints-nature-evolution-walking-land/ Coral reefs are evolution hotspot BBC News Scientists used fossil records stretching back 540 million years to work out the evolution rate at reefs. They report in the journal Science that new ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8446002.stm Study: Prehistoric coral reefs creating new species USA Today (blog) The researchers, at the Leibniz Institute for Research on Evolution and Biodiversity at Humboldt University in Berlin and the University of Chicago, ... http://blogs.usatoday.com/sciencefair/2010/01/study-prehistoric-coral-reefs-creating-new-species.html Social conservatives' power at issue in Texas education board races Dallas Morning News The younger Ratliff said he wants to "take politics out of public education," citing the continuing squabbles over textbooks, evolution and sex education. ... http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/education/stories/010910dntexsboe.42546e9.html 30000-year-old teeth appear to provide vital insights on human evolution HealthJockey.com A research from the University of Bristol claims that the teeth of 30000-year-old child are apparently throwing new light on the evolution of modern humans. ... http://www.healthjockey.com/2010/01/09/30000-year-old-teeth-appear-to-provide-vital-insights-on-human-evolution/ Al Jazeera's Riz Khan interviews biologist Richard Dawkins DigitalJournal.com A few highlights: Riz Khan asks Richard Dawkins what he is trying to achieve when he is speaking out so publicly about the subject of atheism. ... http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/285350 New scientific approach could reveal pieces of human DNA favoured by evolution Daily News & Analysis WASHINGTON: In a new research, scientists have come up with a method that could reveal the pieces of human DNA that have been favoured by evolution because ... http://www.dnaindia.com/scitech/report_new-scientific-approach-could-reveal-pieces-of-human-dna-favoured-by-evolution_1333003 Can evolution explain rise in certain diseases? msnbc.com Stearns and a long list of scientists presented their findings on this evolution-medicine link at the Arthur M. Sackler Colloquium in the spring of 2009. ... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34811171/ns/health-more_health_news/ Lizards' Camouflage Reveals Evolution in Action Discovery News These desert lizards' accelerated evolution could provide researchers with new insights into how species form. By Robert Lamb | Tue Jan 12, 2010 07:00 AM ET ... http://news.discovery.com/animals/lizards-adaptation-evolution-speciation.html Human evolution a factor in the rise of disorders DigitalJournal.com Pressures from evolution may explain the rise of autism, cancer and autoimmune disease. Researchers believe that taking a broader evolutionary perspective ... http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/285540 California Senate Minority Leader Launches Probe Into California Science ... PR Newswire (press release) "If the government can ban a private group from renting a public auditorium to show a film favoring intelligent design, it can ban private groups from ... http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/california-senate-minority-leader-launches-probe-into-california-science-centers-alleged-violations-of-first-amendment-rights-81345322.html Male chromosome a powerhouse of evolution, study says Vancouver Sun And the male Y, once scoffed at for being small, short of genes, and full of "junk DNA," is turning out to be a powerhouse of evolution. ... http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Male+chromosome+powerhouse+evolution+study+says/2438573/story.html SCIENCE Milky Way's Magnetic Attraction Ten Times Stronger Than Rest of Galaxy ScienceDaily (Jan. 7, 2010) — An international research project involving the University of Adelaide has revealed that the magnetic field in the centre of the Milky Way is at least 10 times stronger than the rest of the Galaxy... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100106193219.htm Canine Compulsive Disorder Gene Identified in Dogs; Shares Family With Recently Targeted Gene for Autism in Humans ScienceDaily (Jan. 7, 2010) — A canine chromosome 7 locus that confers a high risk of compulsive disorder susceptibility has been identified through a collaboration between the Behavior Service at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100106193316.htm New Panchromatic Capabilities of Hubble Reveal Unprecedented View of Universe ScienceDaily (Jan. 7, 2010) — Shown in an extremely broad range of color and showcasing more than twelve billion years of cosmic history, Hubble's recent image is a full-glory cosmic renaissance of the history of the Universe. The image provides a record of the Universe's most exciting formative years, from the birth of stars in the early Universe... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100105161542.htm Golden Ratio Discovered in Quantum World: Hidden Symmetry Observed for the First Time in Solid State Matter ScienceDaily (Jan. 7, 2010) — Researchers from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (HZB), in cooperation with colleagues from Oxford and Bristol Universities, as well as the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, UK, have for the first time observed a nanoscale symmetry hidden in solid state matter... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100107143909.htm Polar Bears Changing Habitat in Response to Sea Ice Conditions ScienceDaily (Jan. 7, 2010) — A long-term study showing the changes in habitat associations of polar bears in response to sea ice conditions in the southern Beaufort Sea has implications for polar bear management in Alaska... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100107151657.htm WISE Eye Spies First Glimpse of the Starry Sky ScienceDaily (Jan. 7, 2010) — NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, has captured its first look at the starry sky that it will soon begin surveying in infrared light... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100107083100.htm Scientists' Breakthrough in Production of Biofuels ScienceDaily (Jan. 7, 2010) — A team of scientists from the University of Sheffield have developed an innovative device which will make the production of alternative biofuels more energy efficient... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100107114428.htm Setting the Record Straight on Weight Loss ScienceDaily (Jan. 7, 2010) — It's time to set the record straight. The only reliable way to lose weight is to eat less or exercise more. Preferably both... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100106093634.htm Physicists Beginning to See Data from the Large Hadron Collider ScienceDaily (Jan. 7, 2010) — Three Iowa State University physicists who took winter trips to the Large Hadron Collider for meetings and experimental work are starting to see real data from the planet's biggest science experiment... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100106193446.htm First Earth-Like Planet Spotted Outside Solar System Likely a Volcanic Wasteland ScienceDaily (Jan. 7, 2010) — When scientists confirmed in October that they had detected the first rocky planet outside our solar system, it advanced the longtime quest to find an Earth-like planet hospitable to life... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100106093642.htm Astronomers Unveil Images of 12-Billion-Year-Old Space Nursery ScienceDaily (Jan. 7, 2010) — A University of British Columbia astronomer has produced the most detailed images of deep space from 12 billion years ago, using data from the European Space Agency's Herschel Space Observatory... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100106193430.htm How People Work ... and the Fingerprint Mystery ScienceDaily (Jan. 7, 2010) — Why do we chew our food? Research has shown that it is not, as has long been presumed, to make chunks of food small enough to swallow without choking. Biomechanics, who have modelled the cohesive strength of food after a certain amount of chewing, have shown that we actually chew our food to ensure it is in a firm blob and, therefore, safe to swallow... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100106082527.htm Astronomers Get New Tools for Gravitational-Wave Detection ScienceDaily (Jan. 7, 2010) — Teamwork between gamma-ray and radio astronomers has produced a breakthrough in finding natural cosmic tools needed to make the first direct detections of the long-elusive gravitational waves predicted by Albert Einstein nearly a century ago... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100105143728.htm Researchers Pin Down Long-Elusive Protein That's Essential to 'Life as We Know It' ScienceDaily (Jan. 7, 2010) — A team of researchers is being recognized for devising a new way to study a human protein that long has evaded close scrutiny by scientists investigating its role in the communication of important genetic messages inside a cell's nucleus to workhorse molecules found elsewhere... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100104114551.htm Alzheimer's Discovery Could Lead to Long-Sought Preventive Treatment ScienceDaily (Jan. 8, 2010) — Despite a massive global research effort, many basics of Alzheimer's disease onset remain elusive. This has hampered development of treatments effective during the earliest stages of the disease, when prevention is most likely... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100108090951.htm Evolutionary Surprise: Eight Percent of Human Genetic Material Comes from a Virus ScienceDaily (Jan. 8, 2010) — About eight percent of human genetic material comes from a virus and not from our ancestors, according to researchers in Japan and the U.S... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100107103621.htm Airport Full-Body Scanners Expose Passengers to Less Harmful Radiation Than Most Flights, Experts Say ScienceDaily (Jan. 8, 2010) — Amid concerns regarding terrorists targeting airliners using weapons less detectable by traditional means, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is ramping up deployment of whole body scanners at security checkpoints in U.S. airports... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100106193436.htm Fossil Footprints Give Land Vertebrates a Much Longer History ScienceDaily (Jan. 8, 2010) — The discovery of fossil footprints from early backboned land animals in Poland leads to the sensational conclusion that our ancestors left the water at least 18 million years earlier than previously thought... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100107114420.htm Before or After Birth, Gene Linked to Mental Health Has Different Effects ScienceDaily (Jan. 8, 2010) — Scientists have long eyed mutations in a gene known as DISC1 as a possible contributor to schizophrenia and mood disorders, including depression and bipolar disorder. Now, new research led by Johns Hopkins researchers suggests that perturbing this gene during prenatal periods... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100105095853.htm How Earth Survived Its Birth: New Simulation Reveals Planet Migration Prevents Plunge Into Sun ScienceDaily (Jan. 8, 2010) — For the last 20 years, the best models of planet formation -- or how planets grow from dust in a gas disk -- have contradicted the very existence of Earth. These models assumed locally constant temperatures within a disk, and the planets plunge into the Sun... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100107114433.htm Eclipses Yield First Images of Elusive Iron Line in the Solar Corona ScienceDaily (Jan. 8, 2010) — Solar physicists attempting to unlock the mysteries of the solar corona have found another piece of the puzzle by observing the sun's outer atmosphere during eclipses... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100104161803.htm Ant Has Given Up Sex Completely, Researchers Confirm ScienceDaily (Jan. 9, 2010) — The complete asexuality of a widespread fungus-gardening ant, the only ant species in the world known to have dispensed with males entirely, has been confirmed by a team of Texas and Brazilian researchers... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090825203339.htm SEPARATION CHURCH / STATE State funding for Minnesota Teen Challenge questioned Minnesota Independent The arrangement raises questions about separation of church and state — and some experts say the state has overstepped its bounds in contracting with Teen ... http://minnesotaindependent.com/52630/state-funding-for-minnesota-teen-challenge-questioned Religion, ethnicity to dominate textbook debate San Antonio Express But to assume it's happening and “to blame it on the separation of church and state, which they claim is hostile to the Founders' intentions, ... http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/81274607.html Marriage historian testifies in Prop. 8 trial in San Francisco Los Angeles Times (blog) What about separation of church and state. Or probably you don't care about people who don't believe in God because they are going to go burn in hell ... http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/01/marriage-historian-testifies-in-prop-8-trial-in-san-francisco.html POLITICAL PRAYER: Atheist group wants lawmakers to stop praying before session WHO-TV But the group "Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers" wants to put an end to the practice by sending lawmakers an e-mail demanding the prayers stop. ... http://www.whotv.com/who-story-legislative-prayer-011110,0,4324198.story Pa. Welfare Wins Case Over Religious Child Care CBS 3 "If separation of church and state means anything, it means the church should not have to go to the state and get permission to engage in one of its prime ... http://cbs3.com/wireapnewspa/Pa.Welfare.Department.2.1426965.html Ky. County Can Display Ten Commandments Courthouse News Service ... Civil Liberties Union argued that the Ten Commandments' presence in the Grayson County Fiscal Court violated the separation of church and state. ... http://www.courthousenews.com/2010/01/14/23701.htm MISCELLANEOUS Let’s Talk About Faith By ROSS DOUTHAT Did the call by a cable news analyst for Tiger Woods to convert to Christianity go too far? http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/11/opinion/11douthat.html?th&emc=th Gay Teen Worried He Might Be Christian Towleroad (blog) "No son of mine is going to try to get intelligent design into school textbooks," Geoffrey Faber said. "And I absolutely refuse to pay his tuition if he ... http://www.towleroad.com/2010/01/gay-teen-worried-he-might-be-christian.html Pat Robertson's Haiti Comments Show Grotesque Insensitivity Opposing Views By Americans United - 6 Minutes Ago Americans United for Separation of Church and State today condemned TV preacher and Religious Right leader Pat Robertson ... http://www.opposingviews.com/i/pat-robertson%E2%80%99s-haiti-comments-show-grotesque-insensitivity ================================================== |