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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Pitzer College in California Adds Major in Secularism
New York Times
He studied and taught in Denmark, one of the world's most secular countries, and has written several books about atheism. Studying nonbelief is as valid as studying belief, Mr. Zuckerman said, and the new major will make that very clear. ...
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/08/us/08secular.html
Lawmakers allow repeal of religious aid ban to go to 2012 ballot
MiamiHerald.com
By Patricia Mazzei TALLAHASSEE -- Florida lawmakers sent the emotional debate over the separation of church and state to the ballot on the last day of the legislative session Friday, signing off on a constitutional amendment dealing with spending ...
http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/05/06/2205172/lawmakers-allow-repeal-of-religious.html
Public prayer constitutional amendment heading to Missouri voters
STLtoday.com
McGhee said he sponsored the legislation for five straight years because of a fear that government would use the separation of church and state as a reason to keep people from privately praying on public property. “If voters approve this it will send a ...
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/political-fix/article_26f58abc-7b2b-11e0-858b-001a4bcf6878.html
A First: Member of Congress Formally Recognizes National Day of Reason
Care2.com (blog)
The Constitution also contains a strong separation of church and state, making it clear that government should continue to be built on reason. Our nation faces many problems -- ending two wars, creating jobs, educating our children, tackling our budget ...
http://www.care2.com/causes/politics/blog/a-first-member-of-congress-formally-recognizes-national-day-of-reason/
ATHEISM
Yes, they have no religion — and they feel misunderstood
Stockton Record
Atheism can be isolating. "That sucks," said Brett Westover, a Lodi atheist. "One of the big things that people get from church, ... it's a basic need for socializing, a basic need to belong to a group. That's one of the big things we're hoping to ...
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110506/A_NEWS0803/105060318/-1/A_NEWS14
Pro-athiest bus ads have disappeared
Kelowna Capital News
By Kathy Michaels - Kelowna Capital News Kelowna buses are sporting a bit less atheism and a touch more mystery this week. For the better part of the last four weeks, advertisements spanning the broad side of two buses proclaimed: “There's probably no ...
http://www.bclocalnews.com/okanagan_similkameen/kelownacapitalnews/news/121358763.html
'Godless billboards' promote atheism in Stockton and Ripon
Lodi News-Sentinel
A group that includes 30 to 40 atheists or agnostics from Lodi are part of a coalition that is purchasing billboard advertising in Stockton and Ripon to promote their point of view. The billboards, which went up this week, read, "Don't believe in God? ...
http://www.lodinews.com/religion/article_a873fa8b-e773-5bd1-b5e3-a5c87cb93409.html
Atheist didn't want to hide beliefs from his Catholic parents
Waterloo Record
JPG Chris Burke (from left), Tommy Blanchard, Rowland Robinson and Chuck Romu are members of a University of Waterloo club known as Atheists, Agnostics and Freethinkers. WATERLOO — When you're born and raised Roman Catholic, becoming an atheist can be ...
http://www.therecord.com/living/faith/article/528699--atheist-didn-t-want-to-hide-beliefs-from-his-catholic-parents
Probe into missing atheist bus ads inconclusive
CTV.ca
The city of Kelowna, BC, has wrapped up its investigation into the mysterious disappearance of several atheist bus ads, but staff are no closer to knowing what happened to the controversial signs. The ads, which question the existence of God, ...
http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110511/bc_atheist_ads_probe_110511/20110511?hub=BritishColumbia
Atheists in Austin: The Fish, The Manfish and the Religion of Evolution
God Discussion
Instead of a discussion about the wall of separation, a passerby wanted to discuss "the religion of evolution." A protester tried to explain to him that it took millions of years for species to evolve, and that a fish does not just automatically turn ...
http://www.goddiscussion.com/61496/atheists-in-austin-the-fish-the-manfish-and-the-religion-of-evolution/
Judge Gives Embattled Atheist Ellenbeth Wachs Bail and A Warning
The Ledger
By Suzie Schottelkotte BARTOW | A circuit judge granted bail Friday for Ellenbeth Wachs, the embattled legal coordinator for the Atheists of Florida who's facing criminal allegations that she made sexual noises inside her home that were heard by a ...
http://www.theledger.com/article/20110506/NEWS/110509549/1001/business?Title=Judge-Gives-Embattled-Atheist-Ellenbeth-Wachs-Bail-and-A-Warning-
Atheist billboard generates heated reader debate
OCRegister
Members of the group comprising atheists, agnostics and humanists say the $6450 billboard is part of a nationwide campaign made possible by an anonymous donor in Philadelphia. The billboard is also an advertisement for the Orange County Freethought ...
http://www.ocregister.com/news/billboard-299443-atheists-believe.html
Atheist billboards advertise in Stockton
News10.net
"We want people to know there's a community of atheists and free thinkers that are out here," San Joaquin Valley Coalition of Reason member David Diskin said. "We want people to know they can come and join us, and for people who don't feel the same way ...
http://www.news10.net/news/article/136596/2/Atheist-billboards-advertise-in-Stockton
Atheist billboard sparks controversy in OC
abc7.com
The OC Coalition of Reason is made up of 14 different local groups including atheists, agnostics, and humanists. The coalition director said they are among the 15 percent of Americans that are not affiliated with any religion. ...
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/orange_county&id=8117450
Atheist Leader Ellenbeth Wachs Bails Out of Jail
The Ledger
The Atheists of Florida's legal coordinator was released late Friday from the Polk County Jail. Ellenbeth Wachs, 48, of Lakeland, was jailed May 1 after she was accused of purposely making sexual noises inside her home that were overheard by a ...
http://www.theledger.com/article/20110507/NEWS/110509448/1134?Title=Atheist-Leader-Ellenbeth-Wachs-Bails-Out-of-Jail
Investigation over but Kelowna no closer to finding out who nabbed atheist ads
Winnipeg Free Press
KELOWNA, BC - The City of Kelowna has concluded its investigation into the disappearance of atheist ads from city buses — but staff are no closer to knowing what happened to the controversial advertisements. Regional programs manager Jerry Dombrowski ...
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/life/faith/121598369.html
Athiests say thank-you to to bus ad thief
Kelowna Capital News
By Kathy Michaels - Kelowna Capital News The mystery behind Kelowna's missing atheist ads may never be solved, but the club that paid to put them up doesn't have sour grapes. Instead, they're extending a thank-you to the thief. ...
http://www.bclocalnews.com/okanagan_similkameen/kelownacapitalnews/news/121743054.html
BOOKS, FILM, THEATRE, TV, YOU TUBE
Frank Turner chats about his 'atheist gospel song' at Great Escape
NME.com
Frank Turner has chatted about how he recorded an "atheist gospel song" on his forthcoming album 'England Keep My Bones', as he helped kick off Brighton's Great Escape festival tonight (May 12). Speaking to NME ahead of his performance at the ...
http://www.nme.com/nme-video/frank-turner-in-session-at-the-great-escape-2011/942847043001
Comedy finds a way in 'Nora's Will'
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
By Michele Kenner of the Journal Sentinel When a Jewish woman commits suicide on the eve of Passover, she leaves her atheist ex-husband in a pickle in "Nora's Will," a modest, quirky comedy from Mexico. Yes, you read that right: Jewish suicide comedy. ...
http://www.jsonline.com/entertainment/movies/121717119.html
EVOLUTION, CREATIONISM, I.D.
Evolution Battle Brews In Texas
International Business Times
Evolution is still controversial enough that some teachers back away from teaching it entirely, as a study from Penn State University in January found. The problem with evolution, says Robert Luhn, director of Communications at the NCSE, ...
http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/142452/20110507/texas-controversy-over-teaching-evolution-brews.htm
Gov. Chris Christie unsure about teaching creationism in schools
The Star-Ledger - NJ.com (blog)
She asked what he thought about creationism being taught in schools along with evolution. The governor paused and took a sip of water, quipping, “That's a new one.” It was also a tricky one for the governor of a moderate state whose conservative ...
http://blog.nj.com/njv_auditor/2011/05/gov_chris_christie_unsure_abou.html
Florida antievolution bill dies
National Center for Science Education
If enacted, SB 1854 would have amended a section of Florida law to require "[a] thorough presentation and critical analysis of the scientific theory of evolution" in the state's public schools. In 2009, before introducing a similar bill, ...
http://ncse.com/news/2011/05/florida-antievolution-bill-dies-006666
Atheist bus ad debate stays out of classrooms
www.kamloopsnews.ca
By JASON HEWLETT The public debate sparked by a pair of atheist bus ads hasn't spilled into area schools as administrators manage to walk the educational line between creationism and evolution. The ads, which read, "There's probably no God, ...
http://www.kamloopsnews.ca/article/20110510/KAMLOOPS0101/110519978/-1/kamloops01/atheist-bus-ad-debate-stays-out-of-classrooms
SCIENCE
Life and the Cosmos, Word by Painstaking Word
The New York Times
TEMPE, Ariz. — Like Einstein, he is as famous for his story as for his science. At the age of 21, the British physicist Stephen Hawking was found to have amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Lou Gehrig’s disease. While A.L.S. is usually fatal within five years, Dr. Hawking lived on and flourished, producing some of the most important cosmological research of his time...
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/10/science/10hawking.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha210
Computers Sing to a Better Tune
ScienceDaily (May 7, 2011) — Music producers have for decades had electronics tricks at their disposal for improving a recorded vocal performance. They can add a little reverb or echo to bolster a weak rendition, use effects such as phasing and delay to add color to the vocal, fix duff notes with auto-tuning or even reprogram a whole melody line in software. In recent years, voice synthesis for converting text to spoken word has improved considerably but combining that technology with auto-tuning capability allows computers to "sing."...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110506101104.htm
Comet Elenin: Preview of a Coming Attraction
ScienceDaily (May 6, 2011) — You may have heard the news: Comet Elenin is coming to the inner-solar system this fall...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110505125054.htm
Mars Express Sees Deep Fractures on Mars
ScienceDaily (May 6, 2011) — Newly released images from the European Space Agency's Mars Express show Nili Fossae, a system of deep fractures around the giant Isidis impact basin. Some of these incisions into the martian crust are up to 500 m deep and probably formed at the same time as the basin...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110506100931.htm
Sticking Their Necks out for Evolution: Why Sloths and Manatees Have Unusually Long (or Short) Necks
ScienceDaily (May 6, 2011) — As a rule all mammals have the same number of vertebrae in their necks regardless of whether they are a giraffe, a mouse, or a human. But both sloths and manatees are exceptions to this rule having abnormal numbers of cervical vertebrae. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal EvoDevo shows how such different species have evolved their unusual necks...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110505212314.htm
Quantum Simulation With Light: Frustrations Between Photon Pairs
ScienceDaily (May 6, 2011) — Researchers from the Vienna Center for Quantum Science and Technology at the University of Vienna and the Institute of Quantum Optics and Quantum Information (IQOQI) at the Austrian Academy of Sciences used a quantum mechanical system in the laboratory to simulate complex many-body systems. This experiment, which is published in Nature Physics, promises future quantum simulators with enormous potential insights into unknown quantum phenomena...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110505111942.htm
Universal Signaling Pathway Found to Regulate Sleep
ScienceDaily (May 6, 2011) — Sleeping worms have much to teach people, a notion famously applied by the children's show "Sesame Street," in which Oscar the Grouch often reads bedtime stories to his pet worm Slimy. Based on research with their own worms, a team of neurobiologists at Brown University and several other institutions has now found that "Notch," a fundamental signaling pathway found in all animals, is directly involved in sleep in the nematode C. elegans...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110505123941.htm
When Self-Esteem Is Threatened, People Pay With Credit Cards
ScienceDaily (May 6, 2011) — People shop for high status items when they're feeling low, and they're more likely to make those expensive purchases on credit, according to a study in the current Social Psychological and Personality Science (published by SAGE)...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110505181541.htm
Can Social Deficits of Autism and Schizophrenia Be Modeled in Animals?
ScienceDaily (May 6, 2011) — Social deficits are common in several psychiatric disorders, including autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia. Individuals with severe social dysfunction can experience significant difficulties with everyday functioning...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110505083427.htm
Who Knows You Best? Not You, Say Psychologists
ScienceDaily (May 5, 2011) — Know thyself. That was Socrates' advice, and it squares with conventional wisdom. "It's a natural tendency to think we know ourselves better than others do," says Washington University in St. Louis assistant professor Simine Vazire...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110505111952.htm
SEPARATION CHURCH / STATE
Protesters Attend Cobb Prayer Breakfast
Patch.com
To the Atlanta Freethought Society members, the presence of politicians and government officials at the prayer breakfast violates separation of church and state. “They're not violating it by having an event,” Buckner said. “They're violating it by ...
http://northeastcobb.patch.com/articles/protestors-attend-cobb-prayer-breakfast
New billboard reminds of separation of church, state
The Wenatchee World Online
By AP WENATCHEE — A new red-white-and-blue billboard declares God and government are a “dangerous mix — Keep state and church separate.” The billboard was funded by the Madison, Wis.-based Freedom From Religion Foundation with the help of a group of ...
http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2011/may/06/new-billboard-reminds-of-separation-of-church/
In Pennsylvania, activists pour millions into the fight for school vouchers ...
Philadelphia Inquirer
... 191000 teachers and staff - the NAACP, and the American Civil Liberties Union argue that a voucher program is tantamount to abandoning the neediest students and neighborhoods and could violate the US Constitution separation of church and state. ...
http://articles.philly.com/2011-05-08/news/29522868_1_school-tuition-vouchers-force-public-schools-opportunity-scholarship
Forsyth prayer case heading to court
Winston-Salem Journal
Blackmon and the other plaintiff, Janet Joyner, were backed in their suit by the American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for Separation of Church and State. Meanwhile, the county enlisted the help of a conservative Christian group, ...
http://www2.journalnow.com/news/2011/may/08/forsyth-prayer-case-heading-court-ar-1014185/
Florida legislators load November 2012 ballot with long-sought amendment proposals
Tampabay.com
The amendments are straight out of the Republican Party playbook: overturn abortion rulings, cap state revenue, lower property taxes, restrict court power, loosen the separation between church and state, and prevent President Barack Obama's health care ...
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/elections/florida-legislators-load-november-2012-ballot-with-long-sought-amendment/1168698
Pastor Can't Defend His Tax Exemption in Suit
Courthouse News Service
based group dedicated to promoting the separation of church and state, sued the Secretary of the Treasury and the IRS over the tax code in 2009. It claims that the so-called "parsonage exemption" violates the US Constitution's Establishment Clause as ...
http://www.courthousenews.com/2011/05/09/36433.htm
Bill would put Scientology in Ill. schools
Chicago Tribune (blog)
The program's ties to the Church of Scientology risks violating the “strong separation of church and state in our constitution,” he said. He would knock a code of conduct authored by Pope John Paul II as much as the one authored by Hubbard, he said. ...
http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/religion_theseeker/2011/05/scientology-in-illinois-public-schools.html#tp
If passed, 'Religious Freedom' amendment would help state outsource services ...
Florida Independent
“Blaine Amendments are antiquated constitutional tenants rooted in bigotry that go far beyond the separation of church and state envisioned by our founding fathers,” Precourt said. “If we don't take action now, millions of dollars in quality state ...
http://floridaindependent.com/29490/religious-freedom-amendment-privatizatio
Ill. panel balks at measure linked to Scientology
The Associated Press
Opponents contend the Good Choices Program is closely associated with Scientology beliefs and promoting it in schools would violate the separation of church and state. Democratic Rep. Dan Burke says he'll rewrite the resolution and bring it up again ...
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hd98xxrN5YpprI-HqPx-PaoHSh9w?docId=8f33f747c94640d1bb31a40065a993f1
Parent Upset Over Praying Before Tests
WSB Atlanta
"Well, it's a separation of church and state, and obviously we have a lot of students that may come from a lot of different religious backgrounds," said Gwinnett County school district spokeswoman Sloan Roach. But Roach also said she was not aware of ...
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/27859621/detail.html
MISCELLANEOUS
Service will take in Fido after the Rapture, for a fee
Washington Post
He is an atheist, and proudly so. But he knows that plenty of people do believe in God, do believe in heaven. And some of them believe in the Rapture, the day when true Christians will be called up to Jesus Christ. Some people — including the group ...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/service-will-take-in-fido-after-the-rapture-for-a-fee/2011/05/05/AFcZJn7F_story.html
Going to Heaven May 21? Atheists offer to take care of your pets
Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog)
Heaven will look nothing like Piedmont Park, atheists say. The neighbor or brother-in-law won't be able to help this time. They may be going to heaven too. Fortunately, a reporter for The Washington Post has found a company to turn to in these End ...
http://blogs.ajc.com/news-to-me/2011/05/10/going-to-heaven-may-21-atheists-offer-to-take-care-of-your-pets/?cxntlid=thbz_hm
Leaving on May 21 Judgement Day? Group Will Care For Pets
Gather.com
If you have other animals, you need to find someone who you know is an atheist to care for your exotic pets after May 21st. How does the company know their employees are atheists? They make them blaspheme against the Holy Ghost in accordance with Mark ...
http://news.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474979315712
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