MAY 25, 2011
Volume 7, Issue 21
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
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Comments, suggestions and subscription:
info@centerforatheism.org
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FEATURED ARTICLES

Freedom From Religion Foundation approved to perform marriages
Tulsa World
By BILL SHERMAN World Religion Writer Atheists who want to get married in Tulsa County without going before a minister or a judge may now do so. Three leaders of local atheist organizations registered Thursday with the county court clerk to officiate ...
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20110430_18_A1_CUTLIN359093

ATHEISM

America's Skeptic Laureate: A Profile of Michael Shermer
Publishers Weekly
Now an atheist, Shermer prefers to call himself a skeptic. "The problem with atheism is that it isn't a thing. There isn't anything to be, there's no set of tenets. Skeptics, we believe in science as a set of methods to understand the world. ...
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/profiles/article/47035-america-s-skeptic-laureate-a-profile-of-michael-shermer.html

'Godless' billboard to go up today in Westminster
OCRegister
"The most common misconception is that atheists are not moral," he said. "But in fact, atheists are more moral because we question things and do not base our decisions on blind faith or superstitions." Gleason hopes atheism will be eventually accepted ...
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/billboard-299098-county-billboards.html

Atheist ads vanish from Kelowna buses
CTV.ca
Atheists in BC's Okanagan have a mystery on their hands after bus advertisements questioning the existence of God mysteriously disappeared this week. The ads, which were debuted on the broad side of buses earlier this month in Kelowna and Kamloops, ...
http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110505/bc_atheist_ads_disappear_110505/20110505/?hub=BritishColumbiaHome

Today Is The National Day of Reason - Westboro Baptist Church Plans Protest of ...
God Discussion
Separation of Church and State to be Celebrated in Minnesota. One such meeting is an event sponsored by the Minnesota Atheists, who are holding their sixth annual Day of Reason, celebrating the separation of church and state, in the State Capital ...
http://www.goddiscussion.com/61363/today-is-the-national-day-of-reason-westboro-baptist-church-plans-protest/

Atheist group to perform Tulsa County weddings
Danbury News Times
(AP) Atheists can now marry in Tulsa County without having the ceremony performed by a minister or a judge. Leaders of the Tulsa Coalition of Reason, the Atheist Community of Tulsa and the Tulsa County chapter of the Freedom From Religion ...
http://www.newstimes.com/default/article/Atheist-group-to-perform-Tulsa-County-weddings-1359965.php

It's Not a Sign from God: OC Atheists Spread the Word
OC Weekly (blog)
By Matt Coker, Tue., May 3 2011 @ 12:13PM An Orange County secular group has put up a billboard at a busy Huntington Beach corner informing atheists they do not walk alone in their lack of faith. "Don't Believe in God? You Are Not Alone" states the ...
http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/2011/05/orange_county_atheist_reason_c.php

Atheists put up 'Godless' billboard in Westminster
OCRegister
By DEEPA BHARATH A local coalition of atheists has put up the billboard in the city, which ironically was the first in the county to post the In God We Trust motto in its council chambers. WESTMINSTER – "Don't believe in God? You are not alone. ...
http://www.ocregister.com/news/billboard-299098-county-billboards.html?cb=1304563138

Controversial atheist activist arrested, accused of being too loud in bedroom
10 Connects
On Monday, she was arrested on a charge of Simulation of a Sexual Act in the Presence of a Child. According to an arrest affidavit, Wachs' neighbor is accusing her of being "too loud" in her own bedroom. The neighbor claims it all started when Wachs ...
http://www.wtsp.com/news/watercooler/article/190447/58/Atheist-activist-arrested-for-being-too-loud-in-bedroom

'Don't believe in God? Join us' Billboard
CBS 47
"For those atheist groups that are putting up these billboards, I want them to know that we don't hate them. We don't hate them if they oppose us," says youth Pastor, Chris Aycock. His reason, "We are representing Jesus Christ the light of the world, ...
http://www.cbs47.tv/news/local/story/Don-t-believe-in-God-Join-us-Billboard/WWY8imFe6U-FH0oEdl6eZA.cspx

Woman charged with simulating sex following basketball dispute
Tbo.com
By JENNIFER LEIGH | News Channel 8 A woman who made headlines as an activist for atheist causes has been charged with verbally simulating sex in the presence of a 10-year-old neighbor. Ellen Beth Wachs, 48, was charged with lewd and lascivious behavior ...
http://www2.tbo.com/news/plant-city/2011/may/04/woman-charged-with-simulating-sex-following-basket-ar-204823/

Atheist ads removed prematurely from Kelowna buses
Vancouver Sun
By CHBC News, Kelowna May 5, 2011 Officials say atheist ads that were put up on the side of Kelowna buses were removed prematurely, but they aren't sure if it was accidental or an act of vandalism. KELOWNA -- Officials say atheist ads that were put up ...
http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Atheist+removed+prematurely+from+Kelowna+buses/4734433/story.html

Atheist accused of sex simulation
News Chief
By JASON GEARY & MATTHEW PLEASANT LAKELAND | In her second arrest this year, the Atheists of Florida's legal coordinator was jailed Sunday on a charge of simulating a sex act in the presence of a 10-year-old boy. Ellenbeth Wachs, 48, of Lakeland, ...
http://www.newschief.com/article/20110505/NEWS/105055140/-1/sports01?Title=Atheist-accused-of-sex-simulation

Valley atheist groups put up Fresno billboard
Fresno Bee
That's the whole point of the sign, says David Costa, vice president of the Central Valley Coalition of Reason, a collection of three Valley atheist groups. A billboard with the slogan "Don't believe in God? Join the club." is seen Wednesday facing ...
http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/05/04/2376439/valley-atheists-get-the-word-out.html

Activist arrested for making 'loud sex noises' near children
KSN-TV
POLK COUNTY, Florida (NBC) -- A prominent Florida atheist activist has been charged with verbally simulating sex in the presence of a 10-year-old neighbor. Ellen Beth Wachs, 48, was charged with lewd and lascivious behavior. Wachs has been prominent in ...
http://www.ksn.com/content/news/also/story/Activist-arrested-for-making-loud-sex-noises-near/aWW1_NIn_0mJDOLGXHosCA.cspx

BOOKS, FILM, THEATRE, TV, YOU TUBE

Funnyman resurrects Jesus show
Highland News
By Margaret Chrystall A LOT has happened since Richard Herring first unveiled his show about Jesus, himself and his atheism back in 2001. But with Christ as part of your subject matter, the possibility of resurrecting the show and giving it its second ...
http://www.highland-news.co.uk/Home/Entertainment/Stage-and-Music/Funnyman-resurrects-Jesus-show-6831785.htm

Rep. Steve Simon asks 'How many gays must God create?' in viral video
Washington Post (blog)
In the three-minute clip, Simon uses a variety of arguments against the ban, including separation of church and state, as well as the arc of history. "If this becomes part of our Constitution, history will judge us all very, very harshly," he says. ...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/rep-steve-simon-asks-how-many-gays-must-god-create-in-viral-video/2011/05/05/AFp9G5yF_blog.html

Comedian confronts critics in Lowestoft over blasphemy claims
Norfolk Eastern Daily Press
The comedian, who is an atheist, also said the comments he has made on a website about the people of East Anglia being backward were taken out of context by the media. When asked what he thought of the protesters' views on his show he told them: "They ...
http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/comedian_confronts_critics_in_lowestoft_over_blasphemy_claims_1_879400

Secrets and Wives: An English Atheist Spends Time Among Mormon Polygamists
AlterNet
The Indian-born author talks to Religion Dispatches about his latest book, an investigation of polygamy in the Church of Latter Day Saints. Sign up to stay up to date on the latest Sex & Relationships headlines via email. The following is reprinted ...
http://www.alternet.org/sex/150823/secrets_and_wives%3A_an_english_atheist_spends_time_among_mormon_polygamists

Trailering: "The Ledge"
IFC
IMDb pegs it as "A thriller in which a battle of philosophies between a fundamentalist Christian and an atheist escalates into a lethal battle of wills." It's sort of a shame those guys -- Patrick Wilson as the Christian, Charlie Hunnam as the atheist ...
http://www.ifc.com/news/2011/05/trailering-the-ledge.php

EVOLUTION, CREATIONISM, I.D.

Polling evolution in Britain
National Center for Science Education
Two questions in Public Attitudes to Science 2011, a survey conducted by Ipsos MORI in association with the British Science Association for the United Kingdom's Department for Business, Innovation, and Skills, are relevant to the creationism/evolution ...
http://ncse.com/news/2011/05/polling-evolution-britain-006653

Support for Louisiana repeal effort
National Center for Science Education
Also endorsing the repeal effort is the Clergy Letter Project, representing more than 14000 religious leaders who acknowledge the scientific importance of evolution. As Barbara Forrest -- a professor of philosophy at Southeastern Louisiana University, ...
http://ncse.com/news/2011/05/support-louisiana-repeal-effort-006656

SCIENCE

52 Years and $750 Million Prove Einstein Was Right
The New York Times
In a tour de force of technology and just plain stubbornness spanning half a century and costing more than $750 million, a team of experimenters from Stanford University reported on Wednesday that a set of orbiting gyroscopes had detected a slight sag and an even slighter twist in space-time...
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/05/science/space/05gravity.html?ref=science

Spinstars: First Polluters of the Universe? Imprints of Fast Rotating Massive Stars in Milky Way's Bulge
ScienceDaily (Apr. 30, 2011) -- From the analysis of the chemical composition of some of the oldest stars in our Galaxy, an international team of astronomers led by Cristina Chiappini from the Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam (AIP) and the Instituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF) presents new clues on the nature of the first stellar generations in our Universe...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110427132316.htm

Through Unique Eyes, Box Jellyfish Look out to the World Above the Water
ScienceDaily (Apr. 30, 2011) -- Box jellyfish may seem like rather simple creatures, but in fact their visual system is anything but. They've got no fewer than 24 eyes of four different kinds. Now, researchers reporting online on April 28 in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, have evidence revealing that four of those eyes always peer up out of the water, regardless of the way the rest of the animal is oriented. What's more, it appears that those eyes allow the jellies to navigate their way around the mangrove swamps in which they live...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110428123938.htm

Electron Ping Pong in the Nano-World
ScienceDaily (Apr. 30, 2011) -- An international team of researchers succeeded at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics to control and monitor strongly accelerated electrons from nano-spheres with extremely short and intense laser pulses...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110428070239.htm

US Appeals Court Opens Federal Funding for Stem Cell Research
ScienceDaily (Apr. 30, 2011) -- The U.S. Federal Court of Appeals has overturned an August 2010 ban on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, paving the way for broader exploration of how stem cells function and how they can be harnessed to treat a wide range of currently incurable diseases...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110429162931.htm

New Solar Cell Technology Greatly Boosts Efficiency
ScienceDaily (Apr. 29, 2011) -- With the creation of a 3-D nanocone-based solar cell platform, a team led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Jun Xu has boosted the light-to-power conversion efficiency of photovoltaics by nearly 80 percent...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110429121853.htm

Mutant Mouse Reveals New Wrinkle in Genetic Code
ScienceDaily (Apr. 29, 2011) -- Call it a mystery with a stubby tail: an odd-looking mouse discovered through a U.S. government breeding program in the 1940s that had a short, kinky tail and an extra set of ribs in its neck -- and nobody knew why...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110428101752.htm

NASA's Swift and Hubble Probe Asteroid Collision Debris
ScienceDaily (Apr. 29, 2011) -- Late last year, astronomers noticed an asteroid named Scheila had unexpectedly brightened, and it was sporting short-lived plumes. Data from NASA's Swift satellite and Hubble Space Telescope showed these changes likely occurred after Scheila was struck by a much smaller asteroid...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110428201122.htm

Fine Chemical Processes Safer and More Efficient With New Type of Reactor
ScienceDaily (Apr. 29, 2011) -- Researcher Marco Meeuwse of Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) has developed a unique chemical reactor, the 'spinning disc reactor'. This is a cylinder containing a rotor that increases the safety and efficiency of chemical production processes involving gases, liquids and solids through its very high mass transfer rate. This new reactor is particularly beneficial for the pharmaceutical and fine chemical industries...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110428092504.htm

How Do White Blood Cells Detect Invaders to Destroy?
ScienceDaily (Apr. 29, 2011) -- Scientists at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center have discovered how a molecular receptor on the surface of white blood cells identifies when invading fungi have established direct contact with the cell surface and pose an infectious threat...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110429095229.htm

SEPARATION CHURCH / STATE

Opposition calls on State to distinguish itself from Church
Malta Independent Online
Although this is possibly a coincidence, Mgr Said Pullicino and Minister Fenech seem to have the same attitude, which is that they don't appreciate the importance of the separation between the Church and the State, he said. The distinction between the ...
http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=124280

Waukesha mayor reimburses city for book assignment
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Luther warned Scrima about the legal, constitutional and ethical issues of his reading assignment, fearing they risk a challenge over separation of church and state. She also called Waukesha's department directors "innovative, collaborative, ...
http://www.jsonline.com/news/waukesha/121001839.html

Polygamous church dispute may head to Utah court
The Associated Press
"The last thing a judge wants to do in a nation committed to the separation of church and state is to become the arbiter of questions of faith," George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley said. One huge hitch for the courts could be the ...
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jXlcLeUbwn4yCCxMUAuuf2k5zJeg?docId=8bab062a6b44427da95dae92b544e131

Freedom From Religion Foundation Urges Government Representatives to Refrain ...
God Discussion
The Freedom From Religion Foundation, a separation of church and state watchdog organization with over 16000 members, has sent letters to officials to four different state governments opposing their endorsement of sectarian prayer events. ...
http://www.goddiscussion.com/60744/freedom-from-religion-foundation-urges-government-representatives-to-refrain-from-promoting-national-day-of-prayer/

60 percent of Hamilton Conty public schools students would have been eligible
Chattanooga Times Free Press
Scales said he also was concerned that the bill could provide state money to religious schools. "We are sending them to private schools where there is no accountability," he said. "Where is the separation of church and state? ...
http://timesfreepress.com/news/2011/may/02/60-percent-hamilton-conty-public-schools-students-/

Local activist questions prayer at council meetings
OCRegister
Ivler said the council is introducing Christianity in a secular setting, breaking with this country's separation of church and state doctrine and setting a bad example to local high school students, who regularly visit council meetings. ...
http://www.ocregister.com/news/council-299106-ivler-secular.html

Invocations continue for college ceremonies
Lariat Saddleback College
They just believe in separation of church and state. Tolerance is strongly encouraged in United States. The practice of tolerance can have a deterrent effect on those who practice it. Monroe thinks tolerance can be an open door to abuse as long as hate ...
http://www.lariatnews.com/mobile/news/the-future-of-invocations-at-college-ceremonies-after-settlement-1.2559253

Bunnell Puts Its Stamp on Day of Prayer While Another Group Marks "Day of ...
FlaglerLive.com
It is the second annual Day of Inclusivity, led by the Flagler County Chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. "In the material I sent off" about the event, Shapiro said, "we chafe at the idea of the government telling us when we ...
http://flaglerlive.com/21662/bunnell-day-of-prayer/comment-page-1

Daniels Signs Sweeping Education Reform Bills
WRTV Indianapolis
Opponents claim the voucher program will hurt public schools by taking money and students away from them and that it blurs the line between separation of church and state. The voucher proposal was a key reason behind a five-week boycott of the ...
http://www.theindychannel.com/education/27787591/detail.html

Cobb Holds Prayer Breakfast, Group Protests Outside
Patch.com
Atlanta Freethought Society members said the presence of government officials at the prayer breakfast violates the separation of church and state. "They're not violating it by having an event," Buckner said. "They're violating it by having it out of a ...
http://powdersprings.patch.com/articles/cobb-holds-prayer-breakfast-group-protests-outside

Daniels signs Ind. school voucher plan into law
Danbury News Times
Critics say vouchers blur the line between separation of church and state and spread scarce education money too thin. The proposal was a key reason behind a five-week boycott of the Legislature by House Democrats, who returned to the Statehouse from ...
http://www.newstimes.com/news/article/Daniels-signs-Ind-school-voucher-plan-into-law-1366562.php

Mayor Apologizes to Police Chief for 'Misunderstanding'
Patch.com
One could certainly ask why aren't our tax dollars paying for a Muslim chaplain or an atheist chaplain." City department heads were asked to read the book Sequencing - Deciphering Your Company's DNA, written by Michael Metzger, and discuss the material ...
http://waukesha.patch.com/articles/waukesha-mayor-apologizes-for-misunderstanding-with-police-chief

Cobb Holds Prayer Breakfast, Smyrna-based Atheist Group Protests Outside
Patch.com
The annual Cobb County Prayer Breakfast was held Thursday morning to celebrate the National Day of Prayer. By Sydney Busby | Email the author | 11:27am The Cobb County Prayer Breakfast is held annually to celebrate the National Day of Prayer. ...
http://smyrna.patch.com/articles/cobb-holds-prayer-breakfast-smyrna-based-atheist-group-protests-outside

MISCELLANEOUS

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