FEATURED ARTICLES
Published by the Center For Atheism (CFA)Editor: David Birnkrant
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.
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College invocations did not violate First Amendment
OCRegister
Wagner, was filed by Americans United for Separation of Church and State on behalf of Saddleback College professors Karla Westphal, Alannah Rosenberg, ...
http://www.ocregister.com/news/college-287981-district-klausner.html
County supervisors approve "In God We Trust" display
Bakersfield Californian
If, she told them, the predominate reason for displaying the motto was based in their faith and not some other, secular purpose, then putting the motto in the board chambers would violate the US Constitution's separation of church and state clause...
http://www.bakersfield.com/news/local/x1241533695/County-supervisors-approve-In-God-We-Trust-display#
Atheist, agnostic group: Giles Co. Ten Commandments suit will proceed
Roanoke Times
The atheist and agnostic group that opposes posting the Ten Commandments in Giles County schools says it is ready to wage a lawsuit against the school board, though the group hasn't yet filed its case. Two Giles County families with children in public ...
http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/wb/277259
ATHEISM
Student leader says atheists don't hate religion
Ventura County Star
Open to the public, the conference will feature a keynote speech by Skeptic Magazine founding publisher Michael Shermer as well as a talk by Evan Clark on "How an Atheist Became Student Body President at a Lutheran University. ...
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/feb/16/student-leader-says-atheists-dont-hate-religion/
President raises awareness of growing non-theism
RU Daily Targum
Silverman said this division and categorization is the main problem with atheism. "While [Christians] are taking the larger term to make themselves look bigger, [atheists] are taking the more precise terms, as a movement and making ourselves ...
http://www.dailytargum.com/university/president-raises-awareness-of-growing-non-theism-1.2472063
AN UNHOLY ARGUMENT
Milton Ulladulla Times
Parents remain unsatisfied and are calling for better conditions for atheist students and those of non-Christian or alternate faiths. One mother told the Times the new arrangements have so far left children sitting outdoors in the rain, unsupervised. ...
http://www.ulladullatimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/an-unholy-argument/2078295.aspx?storypage=0
BOOKS, FILM, THEATRE, TV, YOU TUBE
Dr. Freud, I Presume?
Playbill.com
... imagines here he might be CS Lewis (Mark H. Dold), the author and academic, shortly after he abandoned Freud's stance of atheism for Christianity. ...
http://www.playbill.com/features/article/147615-Dr-Freud-I-Presume
'Freud's Last Session' and Gurney's 'Black Tie': A hit and a miss
Wilton Villager
His visitor this day is the eminent Oxford scholar and author CS Lewis, 41, a committed convert from atheism to theism. The date is Sept. ...
http://wiltonvillager.com/story/499295
The Sunset Limited
Ology
Jones is White, an atheist professor who has just attempted suicide. Jackson is Black, an evangelical Christian ex-convict who has prevented White from ...
http://www.ology.com/movie-reviews/sunset-limited
'The Sunset Limited': Is Tommy Lee Jones' HBO film the greatest Cormac ...
Entertainment Weekly
Jones' timorous atheist runs a whole emotional gauntlet from initial humiliation and despair to smug self-assuredness, and man of faith Jackson somewhat the ...
http://popwatch.ew.com/2011/02/12/sunset-limited-tommy-lee-jones-cormac-mccarthy/
EVOLUTION, CREATIONISM, I.D.
The Freshwater case continues
National Center for Science Education
Among the plethora of allegations contained in the complaint: "Creationism and/or Intelligent Design are NOT religions, nor is either reflective of beliefs ...
http://ncse.com/news/2011/02/freshwater-case-continues-006486
Freshwater appeals termination, claims his rights, laws violated
Columbus Dispatch
Freshwater, the appeal says, could not have advanced a particular religion, even if he had taught creationism and intelligent design, because those ...
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/02/12/freshwater-appeals-termination-claims-his-rights-laws-violated.html?sid=101
Schools respond to proposed evolution teachings
Portales News-Tribune
The bill's list of protected scientific topics include “biological origins, biological evolution, causes of climate change, human cloning and other ...
http://www.pntonline.com/news/proposed-24308-respond-administrators.html
SCIENCE
Mystery of How Fleas Jump Resolved After 44 Years
ScienceDaily (Feb. 12, 2011) — New research from the University of Cambridge sheds light on how fleas jump, reaching speeds as fast as 1.9 meters per second...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110210201005.htm
Nanoparticles May Enhance Circulating Tumor Cell Detection
ScienceDaily (Feb. 12, 2011) — Tiny gold particles can help doctors detect tumor cells circulating in the blood of patients with head and neck cancer, researchers at Emory and Georgia Tech have found...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110211153925.htm
3-D Digital Dinosaur Track Download: A Roadmap for Saving at-Risk Natural History Resources
ScienceDaily (Feb. 12, 2011) — Portable laser scanning technology allows researchers to tote their latest fossil discovery from the field to the lab in the form of lightweight digital data stored on a laptop. But sharing that data as a 3D model with others requires standard formats that are currently lacking, say paleontologists at Southern Methodist University...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110211124615.htm
Firefly Glow: Scientists Develop a Hydrogen Peroxide Probe Based on Firefly Luciferin
ScienceDaily (Feb. 12, 2011) — A unique new probe based on luciferase, the enzyme that gives fireflies their glow, enables researchers to monitor hydrogen peroxide levels in mice and thereby track the progression of infectious diseases or cancerous tumors without harming the animals or even having to shave their fur. Developed by researchers with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California (UC) Berkeley, this new bioluminescent probe has already provided the first direct experimental evidence that hydrogen peroxide is continuously made even in a healthy animal...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110211153929.htm
Superhalogens: New Class of Magic Atomic Clusters Discovered
ScienceDaily (Feb. 12, 2011) — An international team of researchers has discovered a new class of magnetic superhalogens -- a class of atomic clusters able to exhibit unusual stability at a specific size and composition, which may be used to advance materials science by allowing scientists to create a new class of salts with magnetic and super-oxidizing properties not previously found...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110211124613.htm
In Online Dating, Blacks More Open to Romancing Whites Than Vice Versa, Study Finds
ScienceDaily (Feb. 12, 2011) — Has Valentine's Day become post-racial? Not yet, it seems...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110211183853.htm
New View of Family Life in the North American Nebula
ScienceDaily (Feb. 11, 2011) — Stars at all stages of development, from dusty little tots to young adults, are on display in a new image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110211184039.htm
New Drug Treatment Possibilities for Alzheimer's
ScienceDaily (Feb. 11, 2011) — UC Santa Barbara scientists have made a discovery that has the potential for use in the early diagnosis and eventual treatment of plaque-related diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Type 2 diabetes...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110210141245.htm
JPEG for the Mind: How the Brain Compresses Visual Information
ScienceDaily (Feb. 11, 2011) — Most of us are familiar with the idea of image compression in computers. File extensions like ." jpg" or ." png" signify that millions of pixel values have been compressed into a more efficient format, reducing file size by a factor of 10 or more with little or no apparent change in image quality. The full set of original pixel values would occupy too much space in computer memory and take too long to transmit across networks...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110210164155.htm
SEPARATION CHURCH / STATE
Lawyer: County must keep religion out of "In God We Trust" decision
Bakersfield Californian
... "In God We Trust," in their public chambers are critical to whether the act would violate federal laws protecting the separation of church and state, ...
http://www.bakersfield.com/news/local/x1034552884/Lawyer-County-must-keep-religion-out-of-In-God-We-Trust-decision#
Former Jefferson County teachers can press church, state claim
Knoxville News Sentinel
... opined that David Kucera and Vickie F. Forgety are entitled to sue federally as the victims of the school board's alleged violation of the US Constitution's Establishment Clause, better known as the doctrine of separation of church and state. ...
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/feb/15/ex-jefferson-teachers-can-press-church-state/
House set to vote on vouchers legislation
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
"Vouchers are a luxury that we and our children simply cannot afford," she said, also noting her constitutional concerns regarding the separation of church and state. Many private schools are faith-based. The US Supreme Court ruled in 2002 that state ...
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20110215/NEWS07/110219626
Vigo Schools fear bills' effects
Terre Haute Tribune Star
Some opponents say vouchers blur the line between separation of church and state. The Indiana Coalition for Public Education staged a news conference Monday saying taxpayer money shouldn't be directed to private schools, which can deny admission to ...
http://tribstar.com/news/x1397432093/Vigo-Schools-fear-bills-effects
Ray Lutz Defends His Demands to Halt School District Meeting at Sonrise Church
Patch.com
His demands Tuesday to halt a meeting at Sonrise Community Church in Santee went unheeded, so Lutz said Wednesday: “I've reported this to Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. Here is what they say the courts have held in this ...
http://mounthelix.patch.com/articles/ray-lutz-defends-his-demands-to-halt-school-district-meeting-at-sonrise-church
Saguenay ordered to remove crucifix, stop prayers before meetings
Montreal Gazette
... before each meeting, saying they discriminate against the freedom of religion and conscience of atheist resident Alain Simoneau of Chicoutimi borough. ...
http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/Saguenay+ordered+remove+crucifix+stop+prayers+before+meetings/4269029/story.html
Evangelical club notice riles up Montco parent
The Mercury
Children from Muslim, Hindu or atheist families could be subjected to unwanted proselytizing or bullying by their peers, he said. “Apparently this organization has found a loophole,” he added. “They're aggressively going after school districts. ...
http://pottsmerc.com/articles/2011/02/16/news/doc4d5c230ed9206190197726.txt?viewmode=fullstory
Atheists pursue records on Judd's church gifts
News Chief
By MATTHEW PLEASANT WINTER HAVEN - The Atheists of Florida have requested more records about Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd's basketball goal donation to churches, including the criteria he used to pick which churches received them. ...
http://www.newschief.com/article/20110217/NEWS/102175112/1021/news01?Title=Atheists-pursue-records-on-Judd-s-church-gifts
MISCELLANEOUS
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