THE   FOCUS
centerforatheism.org
   
  
  
  
  
 
   
  

JULY 17, 2010
Volume 6, Issue 28
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
   
  
  
   
  
  
   
  
.



===================================
FEATURED ARTICLES 

Atheist Group Sues Lakeland For Prayers 
The Ledger 
By Cary McMullen LAKELAND | Making good on an earlier threat, a Central Florida atheist organization has filed a federal lawsuit against the City of ... 
http://www.theledger.com/article/20100712/NEWS/7125028/1410?Title=Atheist-Group-Sues-Lakeland-For-Prayers 

ATHEISM 

Unbelievers claim a new label for friendly skeptics -- 'Neo Humanist' 
Jackson Clarion Ledger 
The New Atheists, described by Barbara Bradley Hagerty at NPR, in her coverage of the schism among skeptics, as presenting a "more aggressive, ... 
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20100708/FEAT/100708054/Not+atheist++new+moniker+++Neo+Humanist+ 

Kurtz launches venture to explore morality, values in secular society 
Buffalo News 
Kurtz has maintained that under the new leadership, the center has become too overtly focused on promoting atheism, criticizing religion and pushing First ... 
http://www.buffalonews.com/2010/07/10/1108924/kurtz-launches-venture-to-explore.html 

Religious Right's attack on PM 
The Australian 
In the first public attack on the Prime Minister over her self-proclaimed atheism, Danny Nalliah, head of the Catch the Fire Ministries, has described Ms ... 
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/religious-rights-attack-on-pm/story-e6frg6nf-1225890946024 

Florida atheists outraged because city commission begins meetings with prayer 
The Underground 
A group of atheists from Florida filed a lawsuit recently against the City of Lakeland because the city commission always start its meetings with prayer. ... 
http://theundergroundsite.com/index.php/2010/07/florida-atheists-outraged-because-city-commission-begins-meetings-with-prayer-12996 

BOOKS, FILM, THEATRE, TV, YOU TUBE 

Sometimes, life's a Hitch 
Rocky Mount Telegram 
Since Chertoff had asked, Hitchens said he would like a personal citizenship ceremony; that is how Hitchens — atheist, liberal and congenital activist ... 
http://www.rockymounttelegram.com/sometimes-lifes-hitch-21511 

EVOLUTION, CREATIONISM, I.D. 

New exhibit traces 65 million years of evolution 
myCentralJersy.com 
It's the first permanent museum exhibition in the world to trace 65 million years of evolution based on geology and climate, said curator John Harris. ... 
http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20100711/ENTERTAINMENT03/100708032/-1/ENTERTAINMENTFRONT 

SCIENCE 

Saturn Propellers Reflect Solar System Origins 
ScienceDaily (July 10, 2010) — Scientists using NASA's Cassini spacecraft at Saturn have stalked a new class of moons in the rings of Saturn that create distinctive propeller-shaped gaps in ring material. It marks the first time scientists have been able to track the orbits of individual objects in a debris disk. The research gives scientists an opportunity to time-travel back into the history of our solar system to reveal clues about disks around other stars in our universe that are too far away to observe directly... 
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100709110506.htm 

Novel Ion Trap With Optical Fiber Could Link Atoms and Light in Quantum Networks 
ScienceDaily (July 10, 2010) — Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated an ion trap with a built-in optical fiber that collects light emitted by single ions (electrically charged atoms), allowing quantum information stored in the ions to be measured. The advance could simplify quantum computer design and serve as a step toward swapping information between matter and light in future quantum networks... 
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100708111208.htm 

Moms' Favoritism Tied to Depression in Adulthood 
ScienceDaily (July 10, 2010) — Whether mom's golden child or her black sheep, siblings who sense that their mother consistently favors or rejects one child over others are more likely to show depressive symptoms as middle-aged adults, finds a new study by Cornell gerontologist Karl Pillemer... 
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100707220510.htm 

Researchers Use Robot to Determine How Human Strangers Develop Trust 
ScienceDaily (July 10, 2010) — What can a wide-eyed, talking robot teach us about trust... 
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100707220933.htm 

Rain of Giant Gas Clouds Create Active Galactic Nuclei: New Research Explains How Galaxy Centers Light Up 
ScienceDaily (July 10, 2010) — Galaxies like our own were built billions of years ago from a deluge of giant clouds of gas, some of which continue to rain down. Now new calculations tie the rain of giant clouds of gas to active galactic nuclei (AGN), the extremely bright centers of some galaxies... 
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100708171351.htm 

New System Helps Locate Car Park Spaces 
ScienceDaily (July 10, 2010) — A research group from the Universitat Autňnoma de Barcelona Department of Telecommunications and Systems Engineering at the School of Engineering, led by José López Vicario and Antoni Morell, took part in the development of a new system which locates unoccupied car park spaces and guides users to the nearest one... 
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100707093740.htm 

Mathematical Formula Predicts Clear Favorite for the FIFA World Cup 
ScienceDaily (July 9, 2010) — A sophisticated new analysis of team tactics predicts a Spanish win in Sunday's FIFA World Cup final and also shows why England were beaten by Germany... 
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100709102721.htm 

Miniature Energy Harvesting Technology Could Power Wireless Electronics 
ScienceDaily (July 9, 2010) — The journal NanoLetters recently published an article highlighting the fascinating nanogenerators developed by Dr. Yong Shi, a professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Stevens Institute of Technology... 
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100709131308.htm 

New Parallel Found Between Cold Gases and 'Hot' Superconductors 
ScienceDaily (July 9, 2010) — Scientists at JILA, working with Italian theorists, have discovered another notable similarity between ultracold atomic gases and high-temperature superconductors, suggesting there may be a relatively simple shared explanation for equivalent behaviors of the two very different systems... 
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100708111338.htm 

SEPARATION CHURCH / STATE 

Groups back judge on prayer 
Winston-Salem Journal 
... for Religious Liberty, a Washington group that has weighed in to support the separation of church and state in such cases as prayer in public schools. ... 
http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2010/jul/09/090030/groups-back-judge-on-prayer/ 

Spartanburg County Council prayers facing protest 
Spartanburg Herald Journal 
... can pray or meditate in their own way, Miles said she plans to contact Americans United for Separation of Church and State about “possible next steps. ... 
http://www.goupstate.com/article/20100711/ARTICLES/7111049/1051?p=1&tc=pg 

Russian Court Convicts Two for Controversial Art Exhibit 
Voice of America 
He also said one the important objectives of the Sakharov Museum should be to defend the separation of church and state. Evgeny Ihlov of the Russian group ... 
http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/europe/Russian-Court-Convicts-Two-for-Controversial-Art-Exhibit-98240244.html 

Mayor's Prayers Draw Letter From ACLU 
WGAL Lancaster 
The Washington DC-based American's United for the Separation of Church and State has commented on the issue. "Government is not supposed to be promoting ... 
http://www.wgal.com/news/24246908/detail.html 

France divided over Muslim veils 
euronews 
One of the core principles of the Fifth Republic is secularism, the separation of church and state. Justice Minsiter Michčle Alliot-Marie says the ban on ... 
http://www.euronews.net/2010/07/13/france-divided-over-muslim-veils-/ 

Poll shows most Texans reject school curriculum process 
News 8 Austin 
Texas voters have complex views regarding the intersection of religion and education, with 68 percent saying separation of church and state is a key ... 
http://www.news8austin.com/content/headlines/272487/poll-shows-most-texans-reject-school-curriculum-process 

Atheists, Lakeland Mayor Address Lawsuit 
The Ledger 
Jeff Sibio, left, stops to ask the question, "Where did atheism come from?" at the conclusion of the conference of lawyer Eric Husby and Ellen Wachs, ... 
http://www.theledger.com/article/20100713/NEWS/7135035/1410?Title=Atheists-Mayor-Address-Suit 

CHURCH AND STATE DEBATE: Aiken faces possible litigation for prayer in council ... 
NBC Augusta 
One of the city attorneys, Benjamin Moore, explains this is about keeping the separation of church and state. "The idea is to have a generic prayer,” Moore ... 
http://www.nbcaugusta.com/news/local/Keeping-church-and-state-separate-in-Aiken-98461164.html 

Poll: Public school curriculum should be left to educators 
Houston Chronicle 
More than two-thirds of the respondents - 68 percent - agreed that "separation of church and state is a key principle of our Constitution," although 49 ... 
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7107095.html 

City Council questioned on use of prayer 
Aiken Standard (subscription) 
... a seven-page letter received from the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a nonprofit group that focuses on violations of separation of church and state. ... 
http://www.aikenstandard.com/Local/0714-City-Council-Prayer 

Alabama's Judge Roy Moore Back in the News 
Associated Content 
I am tired of these atheist organizations trying to remove God from our public lives. And I am tired of politicians who use God to get in office then ... 
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5588024/alabamas_judge_roy_moore_back_in_the.html?cat=8 

Foundation led by Roy Moore calls for Hoover school board to reinstate prayer ... 
al.com (blog) 
Ian Smith, an attorney for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said the organization first learned of the Hoover school board's meeting ... 
http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2010/07/foundation_led_by_roy_moore_ca.html 

Norfolk teacher removed for anointing students with 'holy oil' 
The Virginian-Pilot 
... teacher's activity violated the school system's instructional curriculum "and violates policies and laws related to the separation of church and state. ... 
http://hamptonroads.com/2010/07/norfolk-teacher-removed-anointing-students-holy-oil 

Aiken must reassess meetings 
The Augusta Chronicle 
... From Religion Foundation, a nonprofit group based in Madison, Wis., that investigates what it terms violations of the separation of church and state. ... 
http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/metro/2010-07-14/city-must-reassess-meetings 

MISCELLANEOUS 

None 

===============================================