THE   FOCUS

MAY 7,, 2010
Volume 6, Issue 19
Published by the Center For Atheism (CFA)
Editor: David Birnkrant
 
The Focus provides links to articles collected from major newspapers and magazines, and is emailed weekly.

This Week in Atheism is a cable show that discusses the articles featured below, every Wednesday at 6:30 PM (EST), Manhattan Cable station 57. 
Live streaming is available at: 
http://www.mnn.org.

Comments, suggestions and subscription:
info@centerforatheism.org.


 
The Center for Atheism (CFA) was established by the New York City Atheists as a separate and independent national organization to propose, develop, and be a catalyst for new national activities supporting the objectives of atheists, agnostics, humanists, freethinkers, skeptics, secularists and separation-of-church-and-state advocates. 

CFA will accept and review suggestions from individuals and other secular organizations that will foster our goals.
 
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FEATURED ARTICLES

Atheists launch bid to outlaw prayer at council meetings
Telegraph.co.uk
... which has begun its meetings with prayers since the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. The atheist group argues that the prayers breach Article 9 of the Human ...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/7675156/Atheists-launch-bid-to-outlaw-prayer-at-council-meetings.html

Blasphemy man begins long protest
BBC News
An atheist is to walk the length of Ireland to protest against the Republic's new blasphemy law. Paul Gill, a former social worker from Donegal will set off ...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8659700.stm

Mojave cross ruling could affect Mt. Soledad cross case
KUSI
Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, called the court's reasoning "bogus." "It's alarming that the high ...
http://www.kusi.com/news/local/92508689.html

ATHEISM

What I learned from Boobquake
The Guardian
And as an atheist, I don't think supernatural beliefs are exempt from this questioning. Because Sedighi's hypothesis was testable, how could we not ...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2010/apr/29/boobquake-earthquake-immodest-dress-iran

Net Worth: Earthquakes, clerics and cleavage collide in Facebook protest
Lawrence Journal World
The self-described “liberal, geeky, nerdy, scientific, perverted atheist feminist trapped in Indiana” asked women around the globe to simultaneously ...
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2010/apr/30/net-worth-earthquakes-clerics-and-cleavage-collide/

Republic's blasphemy law sparks hellish trek
Belfast Telegraph
An atheist is about to walk the length of Ireland to protest against the blasphemy law introduced in the Republic. Former social worker and English teacher ...
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/republics-blasphemy-law-sparks-hellish-trek-14791142.html

Bideford council in legal fight over prayers
BBC News
The NSS, which believes religion should be separate from government, said the legal move was prompted by a complaint from atheist councillor Clive Bone. ...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/devon/8659479.stm

Religion: Voices of unbelief -- behind pulpits
The Republic
The authors of the report are philosopher Daniel C. Dennett, an outspoken leader in the movement many call the "New Atheism," and Linda LaScola, ...
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/religion-faith050510/religion-faith050510/

BOOKS, FILM, THEATRE, TV, YOU TUBE

A Resurrection
Newsweek
Yet this isn't the indiscriminate anger of a proselytizing atheist. Pullman is too fair-minded. "The Christian church in all its different forms undoubtedly ...
http://www.newsweek.com/id/237114

Double take
The Australian
It should be said, however, there is no question of Pullman being part of any co-ordinated atheist movement and he is anxious to differentiate his attack on ...
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/arts/double-take/story-e6frg8n6-1225858710325

Richard Dawkins' watchmaker still has the power to open our eyes
The Guardian
"I could not imagine being an atheist at any time before 1859, when Darwin's Origin of Species was published," he volunteers. This generosity extends even ...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/apr/30/richard-dawkins-blind-watchmaker

CINEMA: Agora
The-Void.co.uk
Here, the philosopher and atheist Hypatia (Rachel Weisz) studies the works of the likes of Pythagoras and keeps her band of followers mesmerised by her ...
http://the-void.co.uk/cinema/review-agora-049/

EVOLUTION, CREATIONISM, I.D.

'Darwin' exhibit shows theorist's work behind 'The Origin of Species'
Alton Telegraph
LOUIS — "Darwin," the most in-depth exhibition ever mounted about this highly original naturalist and his theory of evolution by natural selection, ...
http://www.thetelegraph.com/articles/shows-39535-behind-species.html

Science teacher's hearing resumes
Columbus Dispatch
... and intelligent design, failing to remove religious materials from his classroom after being told to do so, and burning crosses on students' arms. ...
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/04/30/science-teachers-hearing-resumes.html?sid=101

Unnatural selection: Darwin's family damaged by inbreeding
Times Online
The children of Charles Darwin, whose theories on evolution revolutionised science, may have been genetically blighted themselves — because of generations ...
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/genetics/article7114113.ece#cid=OTC-RSS&attr=797084

Students testify in Freshwater hearing
Mount Vernon News
... case in which Freshwater referred to the Bible in class and did not remember Freshwater ever talking about intelligent design or creationism in class. ...
http://www.mountvernonnews.com/local/10/05/01/students-testify-in-freshwater-hearing

Did Morality Evolve?
Psychology Today (blog)
If morality were a direct product of evolution, why would people constantly argue about what's right and wrong? Why would we spend so much time teaching our ...
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-nature-nurture-nietzsche-blog/201005/did-morality-evolve

In Darwin Family, Evidence of Inbreeding's Ill Effects
New York Times
By NICHOLAS WADE Charles Darwin, the author of the theory of evolution, may have been right to worry that his children's health had been affected by the ...
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/science/04darwin.html

Was Charles Darwin's family a victim of inbreeding?
CTV.ca
Charles Darwin, whose theory of evolution sparked a revolution in science, worried that inter-marriage had saddled his children with health woes. ...
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20100504/charles-darwin-inbreeding-100504/20100504?hub=TopStoriesV2

Don McLeroy, the dentist who wants to drill pupils in Creationism
Times Online
Recent polls suggest that between 44 and 46 per cent of Americans reject Darwin's theory of evolution in favour of some form of creationism. ...
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article7118715.ece

SCIENCE

More Trouble Ahead from Volcanic Ash?
ScienceDaily (May 1, 2010) — Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano continues to be active, but the full effects of volcanic ash on the aviation industry have yet to be seen, according to an aviation expert from the University of Leeds...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100430082016.htm

Locating Tsunami Warning Buoys
ScienceDaily (May 1, 2010) — Australian researchers describe a mathematical model in the International Journal of Operational Research that can find the ten optimal sites at which tsunami detection buoys and sea-level monitors should be installed...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100428093927.htm

Researchers Preparing for Blue Waters: Most Powerful Supercomputer in the World
ScienceDaily (Apr. 30, 2010) — They can't wait to do computational chemistry at a quadrillion calculations per second...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100427182536.htm

'Survivor' Black Holes May Be Mid-Sized
ScienceDaily (Apr. 29, 2010) — New evidence from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and ESA's XMM-Newton strengthens the case that two mid-sized black holes exist close to the center of a nearby starburst galaxy. These "survivor" black holes avoided falling into the center of the galaxy and could be examples of the seeds required for the growth of supermassive black holes in galaxies...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100429132751.htm

Our Genes Can Be Set on Pause: Embryonic Stem Cells Reveal Oncogene's Secret Growth Formula
ScienceDaily (Apr. 29, 2010) — New evidence in embryonic stem cells shows that mammalian genes may all have a layer of control that acts essentially like the pause button on your DVR. The researchers say the results show that the pausing phenomenon, previously thought to be a peculiarity of particular genes, is actually a much more general feature of the genome...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100429132743.htm

Developing World Will Produce Double the E-Waste of Developed Countries by 2016, Study Predicts
ScienceDaily (Apr. 29, 2010) — Developing countries will be producing at least twice as much electronic waste (e-waste) as developed countries within the next 6-8 years, according to a new study published in ACS' semi-monthly journal Environmental Science & Technology. It foresees in 2030 developing countries discarding 400 million -- 700 million obsolete personal computers per...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100428121451.htm

Animals' 'Right to Privacy' Denied by Wildlife Documentary Makers, Academic Argues
ScienceDaily (Apr. 29, 2010) — Animals' 'right to privacy' is being denied by makers of television wildlife documentaries, according to a UK academic...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100429092934.htm

Military Develops Multi-Purpose 'Green' Decontaminants for Terrorist Attack Sites
ScienceDaily (Apr. 29, 2010) — Chemists with the United States military have developed a set of ultra-strength cleaners that could be used in the aftermath of a terrorist attack. The new formulas are tough enough to get rid of nerve gas, mustard gas, radioactive isotopes, and anthrax. But they are also non-toxic, based on ingredients found in foods, cosmetics, and other consumer products...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100428121447.htm

Canadians Lead Longer, Healthier Lives Than Americans
ScienceDaily (Apr. 29, 2010) — Compared to their neighbours south of the border, Canadians live longer, healthier lives. Research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Population Health Metrics has found this disparity between the two countries, suggesting that America's lack of universal health care and lower levels of social and economic equality are to blame...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100428204550.htm

Surprising Behavior of Tiny 'Artificial Muscles' Explained
ScienceDaily (Apr. 29, 2010) — Using neutron beams and atomic-force microscopes, a team of university researchers working with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) may have resolved a 10-year-old question about an exotic class of "artificial muscles" -- how do they work? Their results* could influence the design of future specialized robotic tools...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100428121521.htm

Critical Care Outcomes Tied to Insurance Status, Systematic Review Finds
ScienceDaily (Apr. 29, 2010) — Among the general U.S. population, people who are uninsured are about half as likely to receive critical care services as those with insurance, according to systematic review of the literature by the American Thoracic Society's Health Disparities Group...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100428110814.htm

Where Comets Emit Dust: Scientists Identify the Active Regions on the Surface of Comets
ScienceDaily (Apr. 29, 2010) — Studying comets can be quite dangerous -- especially from close up. Because the tiny particles of dust emitted into space from the so-called active regions on a comet's surface can damage space probes. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Germany have now developed a computer model that can locate these regions using only...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100426113112.htm

SEPARATION CHURCH / STATE

Group calls Ft. Carson symbol "unconstitutional"
KXRM
The group says the emblem with a cross and the Latin phrase "for god and humanity" is a violation of the separation of church and state and they want the ...
http://www.coloradoconnection.com/news/story.aspx?id=450676

Judge hears arguments about Greenwood graduation prayer
Fox 59
... the school prayer at the Greenwood High School graduation arguing that it violates the First Amendment protection of separation of church and state. ...
http://www.fox59.com/news/wxin-greenwood-prayer-debate-update-043010,0,6197333.story

Group: Army symbol is religious, should be changed
WTOP
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation has asked Fort Carson to change its hospital emblem, saying it violates the separation of church and state. ...
http://www.wtop.com/?sid=1945688&nid=104

Supreme Court Sends Mojave Desert Cross Case Back to Lower Court
PR-CANADA.net (press release)
... claimed that the designation of an overtly religious symbol as a national war memorial was offensive and violated the separation of church and state. ...
http://pr-canada.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=193054&Itemid=58

Greenwood prayer in judge's hands
WISH
Falk argued in federal court and later told 24-Hour News 8 such a prayer would violate separation of church and state and would unconstitutionally subject ...
http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/local/south_central/greenwood-prayer-in-judges-hands

Atheists: High Court erodes separation in 5-4 ruling on Mojave Christian cross ...
Los Angeles Chronicle
An Atheist public policy group has expressed concern over Monday's ruling by the Supreme Court upholding the constitutionality of a scheme to transfer ...
http://www.losangeleschronicle.com/articles/view/154149

US Supreme Court declines involvement in Boy Scouts, San Diego Balboa Park case
Los Angeles Times (blog)
... other groups to bid on the property and that giving preference to a religious organization violated the constitutional separation of church and state. ...
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/05/us-supreme-court-declines-involvement-in-case-of-boy-scouts-and-san-diegos-balboa-park.html

Billboard campaign takes aim at National Day of Prayer
Colorado Springs Gazette
She contends that the Task Force — led by Shirley Dobson, wife of Focus on the Family founder James Dobson — blurs the separation between church and state ...
http://www.gazette.com/articles/national-98160-aim-prayer.html

Churches seek reprieve on parking
Chicago Tribune
Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a Washington-based advocacy group, frowns on parking exemptions for ...
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/religion/ct-met-praying-for-parking-20100505,0,4050696.story

Group says Becker foundation violating Constitution
Kearney Hub
WASHINGTON, DC - An organization working to preserve the separation of church and state says the Todd Becker Foundation of Kearney is violating the ...
http://www.kearneyhub.com/news/local/article_e01117ba-57a4-11df-af74-001cc4c002e0.html

Conn. ACLU sues to stop graduations at church
Hartford Courant
The ACLU and Americans United for Separation of Church and State allege in the lawsuit filed Wednesday that it's an unconstitutional government endorsement ...
http://www.courant.com/community/hartford/hc-ap-ct-churchgraduationsmay05,0,5513598.story

Atheists protest at city council
MyFox Tampa Bay
That was the Atheist's message at City Hall on national prayer day, as a Rabbi began the invocation, "please join me, God in heaven, master of the world. ...
http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/dpp/news/local/hillsborough/506-atheists-protest-at-city-council

Lack of graduation prayer irks GOP
Tampabay.com
From hearsay, the guy was an atheist." Bunting, who is Catholic, said "In Pasco County, you can't go a quarter of a mile without passing a church. ...
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/lack-of-graduation-prayer-irks-gop/1093215

Legal challenge to council prayers
This is North Devon
Bideford Town Councillor, Clive Bone, an atheist, asked the society to look into the issue. He said he knew people had been put off standing for election as ...
http://www.thisisnorthdevon.co.uk/news/Legal-challenge-council-prayers/article-2111443-detail/article.html

ACLU Sues Enfield Over Plans To Hold Graduations At Church
Hartford Courant
The suit, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for Separation of Church and State, was announced by the groups this morning. ...
http://www.courant.com/community/enfield/hc-aclu-sues-enfield-church-graduation-0505,0,4407166.story

Group threatens Kearney foundation with lawsuit
Lexington Clipper Herald
by SARA GIBONEY KEARNEY - An organization working to preserve the separation of church and state says the Todd Becker Foundation is violating the ...
http://lexch.com/articles/2010/05/06/news/regional/doc4be2cb326876c111229340.txt

MISCELLANEOUS

Atheist Beer "Godless" Coming to U.S.
Opposing Views
To exercise social responsibility, Devil's Brew donates one Danish Crown to the Danish Atheist Society for each bottle sold.” The rough English translation ...
http://www.opposingviews.com/i/atheist-beer-godless-coming-to-u-s
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