THE   FOCUS
centerforatheism.org
     
  
  
  
  
 
     
  

JULY 9, 2010
Volume 6, Issue 26
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: 
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Comments, suggestions and subscription:
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FEATURED ARTICLES 

After years of silence, Nate Phelps faces off with his anti-gay father 
Globe and Mail 
The move to atheism was “a journey,” he explains. In his 18-year marriage, he went to a garden-variety Christian church, but when his description of hell ... 
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/family-and-relationships/after-years-of-silence-nate-phelps-faces-off-with-his-anti-gay-father/article1621441/ 

Atheist group's billboard vandalized 
Charlotte Observer 
NORTH CAROLINA SECULAR ASSOCIATION The "Under God" spray-painted by vandals onto an atheist billboard on Billy Graham Parkway over the weekend won't be ... 
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/06/29/1531934/atheist-groups-billboard-vandalized.html 

Christopher Hitchens to undergo chemotherapy for cancer of the oesophagus 
Daily Mail 
The controversial writer and fervent atheist whose most recent book 'Hitch-22' is a best-seller, posted a message on his publisher's website last night ... 
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1291056/Christopher-Hitchens-undergo-chemotherapy-cancer-oesophagus.html 

Italy appeals rights court's school crucifix ban 
AFP 
"All children in Europe, atheist or believers, learn that the right to believe and the right not to believe are realities," he said, pointing out that not ... 
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i9OoPLHYvLeAyzYxPWQyn7NmAaVA 

ATHEISM 

Atheist-agnostic coalition promotes its patriotism 
Winston-Salem Journal 
AP A statewide coalition of atheists and agnostics has placed billboards in six cities, including Winston-Salem, to show that the nonreligious also are ... 
http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2010/jun/25/atheist-agnostic-coalition-promotes-its-patriotism/news/ 

Sleep-away camp offers usual summer fun with nonbeliever's twist 
Columbus Dispatch 
Her dad is an atheist, she said, and her mom was raised Catholic and still prays sometimes. "I'm not really anything right now," she said. ... 
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/faith_values/stories/2010/06/25/kids-wrestle-with-religion-at-camp-quest.html?sid=101

Atheist billboards in Asheville, elsewhere get support and slammed 
Asheville Citizen-Times 
The group cites as an example a challenge to the election last year of City Councilman Cecil Bothwell, an atheist. “The knee-jerk criticism of the billboard ... 
http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20100626/NEWS/306260030/1009 

A quiet place for free thinkers on the Internet 
Charlotte Observer 
... was a lot of buzz in the blogosphere about whether there should also be a New Atheist on the panel and there was a lot of griping that there wasn't. ... 
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/06/27/1529251/a-quiet-place-for-free-thinkers.html 

Son of Fred Phelps speaks out about his 'hateful' anti-gay father 
PinkNews.co.uk 
Speaking to Canadian Newspaper, Globe and Mail, he said, "I don't accept the argument that growing up in a twisted environment is what led me to atheism . ... 
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2010/06/28/son-of-fred-phelps-speaks-out-about-his-hateful-anti-gay-father/ 

Atheist billboard a 'great advertisement for God' 
KVUE 
by MARTIN BARTLETT / KVUE News PFLUGERVILLE – Southbound drivers along Interstate 35 in Pflugerville are getting a little roadside religion from a ... 
http://www.kvue.com/news/Billboard-a-great-advertisement-for-God-97346999.html 

Call for PM to outline her inspiration 
Sydney Morning Herald 
... of a wider cross-section,'' she said. The Atheist Foundation predicted Ms Gillard would suffer little political fallout because of her lack of faith... 
http://www.smh.com.au/national/call-for-pm-to-outline-her-inspiration-20100628-zf9u.html 

Jesus! Our PM's an atheist 
Same Same 
Australia's new Prime Minister has revealed she does not believe in God, and will not try to court the Christian vote by pretending to have faith. ... 
http://www.samesame.com.au/news/local/5566/Jesus-Our-PMs-an-atheist.htm 

Of Sacred and Secular 
Austin American-Statesman (blog) 
“The point of our nationwide awareness campaign is to reach out to the millions of atheists, agnostics, freethinkers and humanists living in the United ... 
http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/faith/entries/2010/06/29/dont_believe_in_god_join_the_c.html?cxntfid=blogs_of_sacred_and_secular 

Australia's new PM an atheist 
Radio Australia 
As a child, she was a Baptist, now she's an avowed atheist. But does it really matter to Australians? MOTTRAM: Mentions of god are few and far between in ... 
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/connectasia/stories/201007/s2941974.htm 

Will God cost Gillard votes? 
Sunshine Coast Daily 
“We've had quite a few people contact us to express a concern that she has said she is an atheist,” Mr Slipper said. “It is my view that her admission will ... 
http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/story/2010/07/01/heavens-god-cost-gillard-votes-/ 

Son of 'God Hates Fags' preacher Fred Phelps speaks out 
DigitalJournal.com 
Nate Phelps (51) is an atheist father of four, living in Calgary. He has told a Canadian newspaper: “I don't accept the argument that growing up in a ... 
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/294031 

Author Christopher Hitchens diagnosed with cancer 
The Guardian 
In his 2008 book "God Is Not Great", Hitchens put himself on a collision course with major religions through his advocacy of atheism. ... 
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/jul/01/aurtho-christopher-hitchens-diagnosed-cancer 

Group complains about Boy Scouts 
Worcester Telegram 
The BSA maintains that homosexual conduct is inconsistent with its values and that atheism and agnosticism fly in the face of one of the organization's key ... 
http://www.telegram.com/article/20100630/NEWS/6300453/0/NEWS04 

Defaced 'atheist' billboard is repaired 
Charlotte Observer 
By Tim Funk 7/1/10 - The defaced billboard, sponsored by an atheist group, was repaired today. DIEDRA LAIRD -dlaird@charlotteobserver.com It took a few ... 
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/07/01/1537319/defaced-atheist-billboard-is-repaired.html 

Atheist ads appear on billboards 
New Zealand Herald 
Controversial billboards promoting atheism today appeared in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, after NZ Bus refused to run the ads on bus sides. ... 
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10655826 

BOOKS, FILM, THEATRE, TV, YOU TUBE 

The Heresies of Christopher Hitchens 
Religion Dispatches 
I read with particular attention to Hitchens' new loyalties to atheism and secularism. As a committed atheist and secularist, I often worry that loyalty to ... 
http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/atheologies/2807/the_heresies_of_christopher_hitchens___/ 

"Agora" Review - An Ambitious Amenábar 
Reel Loop (satire) (blog) 
Set in Alexandria in 391 AD, the movie follows several characters – mainly the female philosophy professor and atheist Hypatia (Rachel Weisz), ... 
http://blog.reelloop.com/11543/reviews/agora-review-ambitious-amenbar/ 

EVOLUTION, CREATIONISM, I.D. 

Evolution made easy through cartoons for schoolkids 
Expressindia.com 
Raghunathan used cartoons of Mickey Mouse to explain the complex theories of evolution. “Just as Mickey Mouse has changed from the time Walt Disney created ... 
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/evolution-made-easy-through-cartoons-for-schoolkids/639335/ 

SCIENCE 

New Clues Suggest Wet Era on Early Mars Was Global 
ScienceDaily (June 26, 2010) — Minerals in northern Mars craters seen by two orbiters suggest that a phase in Mars' early history with conditions favorable to life occurred globally, not just in the south... 
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100624141343.htm 

Novel Radiotracer Shines New Light on the Brains of Alzheimer's Disease Patients 
ScienceDaily (June 26, 2010) — A trial of a novel radioactive compound readily and safely distinguished the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients from healthy volunteers on brain scans and opens the doors to making such imaging available beyond facilities that can manufacture their own radioactive compounds... 
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100624214318.htm 

Gene Therapy a Step Closer to Mass Production 
ScienceDaily (June 26, 2010) — EUREKA project E! 3371 Gene Transfer Agents has made great advances in the development of novel non-viral carriers able to introduce genetic material into the target cells. These new agents, derivatives of cationic amphiphilic 1,4-dihydropyridine (1,4-DHP), avoid the problems of the recipient's immune system reacting against a viral carrier... 
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100624122058.htm 

Galaxy Encounter Fires Up Quasar 
ScienceDaily (June 25, 2010) — Using two of the world's largest telescopes, an international team of astronomers have found evidence of a collision between galaxies driving intense activity in a highly luminous quasar. The scientists, led by Montserrat Villar Martin of the Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucía-CSIC in Spain, used the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile and the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) on La Palma in the Canary Islands, to study activity from the quasar SDSS J0123+00... 
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100624122444.htm 

Tactile Sensations Influence Social Judgments and Decisions 
ScienceDaily (June 25, 2010) — Psychologists report in the journal Science that interpersonal interactions can be shaped, profoundly yet unconsciously, by the physical attributes of incidental objects: Resumes reviewed on a heavy clipboard are judged to be more substantive, while a negotiator seated in a soft chair is less likely to drive a hard bargain... 
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100624140908.htm 

NASA Radar Images Show How Mexico Quake Deformed Earth 
ScienceDaily (June 25, 2010) — NASA has released the first-ever airborne radar images of the deformation in Earth's surface caused by a major earthquake -- the magnitude 7.2 temblor that rocked Mexico's state of Baja California and parts of the American Southwest on April 4... 
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100624141524.htm 

New 'Fix' for Cosmic Clocks Could Help Uncover Ripples in Space-Time 
ScienceDaily (June 25, 2010) — An international team of scientists have developed a promising new technique which could turn pulsars -- superb natural cosmic clocks -- into even more accurate time-keepers... 
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100624140910.htm 

Researchers Develop Living, Breathing Human Lung-on-a-Chip 
ScienceDaily (June 25, 2010) — Researchers from the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, Harvard Medical School and Children's Hospital Boston have created a device that mimics a living, breathing human lung on a microchip. The device, about the size of a rubber eraser, acts much like a lung in a human body and is made using human lung and blood vessel cells... 
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100624144059.htm 

SEPARATION CHURCH / STATE 

Credo: Barry Lynn 
Washington Examiner 
For nearly 20 years, he has served as the executive director of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, where his battles have included ... 
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/Credo_-Barry-Lynn-97172034.html 

City delivers 'Lordless' diplomas to graduates 
New Haven Register (subscription) 
Once you do that, you disenfranchise a certain part of the population and it violates separation of church and state,” she said. For her, it's also a legal ... 
http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2010/06/26/news/new_haven/aa1_new_haven_diploma_2062610.txt 

Belgium urges Vatican to stay out of child sex abuse investigations 
Independent 
... Steven Vanackere, reminded Rome of the principle of separation of church and state yesterday, pointing out that the church should not try to impede the ... 
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/belgium-urges-vatican-to-stay-out-of-child-sex-abuse-investigations-2013073.html 

Church-State Separation Activists Urge Questioning of Kagan 
Religion Dispatches 
Americans United for the Separation of Church and State did not oppose Kagan's nomination, but sent a letter to the Judiciary Committee urging it to ... 
http://www.religiondispatches.org/dispatches/sarahposner/2863/church-state_separation_activists_urge_questioning_of_kagan/ 

Court Says No to High School Graduations in a Church 
ABC News 
But last fall, the American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a nonprofit, nonsectarian organization that ... 
http://abcnews.go.com/US/court-bars-connecticut-schools-holding-graduation-church/story?id=11013102 

High Court Ruling on Hastings Law School Upholds Separation of Church and State 
AlterNet (blog) 
Baylor's argument was flatly rejected by the Reverend Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. ... 
http://blogs.alternet.org/skeeterbitesreport/2010/06/29/105/ 

Supreme Court ruling supports Hastings College of Law's student groupspolicy 
The Underground 
By the same reasoning, Democrats would have to allow the election of Republicans, and an atheist could lead a Bible study group, the ADF Media said. ... 
http://theundergroundsite.com/index.php/2010/06/supreme-court-ruling-supports-hastings-college-of-laws-student-groupspolicy-12737 

ECHR Grand Chamber hears crucifix case 
di-ve.com 
He also stressed that there was a difference between secularism and atheism, and that the countries who brought third-party proceedings against Ms Lautsi ... 
http://www.di-ve.com/Default.aspx?ID=72&Action=1&NewsId=74158&newscategory=34 

Catholic Church evades abuse scandals 
Press TV 
... Policy in Focus Ian Williams believes that Vatican tries to escape its child abuse scandals by misusing the principle of Separation of Church and State. ... 
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=132735 

Family presses appeal of prayer ruling 
The News Journal 
... the Delaware chapter of the ACLU, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Union for Reform Judaism, Hindu American Foundation, ... 
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20100630/NEWS/100630048/Family-presses-appeal-of-prayer-ruling 

Italy, allies fight court's school crucifix ban 
Reuters UK 
Defending the ban, lawyer Nicolo Paoletti said Italy's Constitutional Court considered the separation of church and state was so fundamental that it removed ... 
http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE65T3ZV20100630 

Chaplain link will include disclaimer 
Tbo.com 
... Ken Fagan complained Martin broke "ethics rules" with his website and that he has "crossed the line regarding the separation of church and state. ... 
http://www2.hernandotoday.com/content/2010/jul/01/chaplain-link-will-include-disclaimer/ 

School district being sued over Bibles 
Wink News 
Mihet said the separation of church and state does not apply in this case. "Because it is not the school board who is distributing these Bibles. ... 
http://www.winknews.com/Local-Florida/2010-07-01/School-district-being-sued-over-Bibles 

MISCELLANEOUS 

Catholic Church Finds Innocent Priest, Excommunicates Him 
Glossy News (satire) 
It seems that during all the festivities, Father O'Daily let slip that he is actually an Atheist. “This sort of thing, really shouldn't affect how well I do ... 
http://glossynews.com/society/religion/201006270358/catholic-church-finds-innocent-priest-excommunicates-him/ 

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