THE FOCUS     

Section 1 of  4                             April 21, 2006               Volume 2, Issue 15/16

                  

Published by the Center For Atheism (CFA)

Editor: Suzy Lanza

Email: THEFOCUSATCFA@AOL.COM

   

The Focus will provide links to articles collected

from major newspapers and magazines, and will be emailed weekly. 

 

The Focus has four sections.

Section #1:  News Articles

Section #2:  CFA Programs

Section #3:  Special Notices

Section #4:  Legislation Alerts       

Please email any comments and suggestions to THEFOCUS@CENTERFORATHEISM.ORG

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See Section #1: News Articles
 
See Section #2: Center for Atheism Programs
SECULAR COMMUNITY'S RESPONSE TO THE NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER
BLOOD DONATION PROGRAM - MAY 4, 2006
 
See Section #3: Special Notices
CENTER FOR ATHEISM (CFA) SEARCHING FOR WASHINGTON, D.C. BASED LOBBYIST

 

See Section #4: Legislation Alerts

LEGISLATION DESCRIPTION, FIND YOUR ELECTED OFFICIAL, LETTER TEMPLATE, 
           COMPOSE LETTER, SEND LETTER.
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Section 1 of  4

                                                  NEWS ARTICLES

 

Some publications may require that you sign up for membership

to view their article.

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ATHEISM
 
Why Not Believe? Reasons Why Atheists Don't Believe in Gods
A common question which atheists hear a lot is 'why don't you believe in God?' Theists, religious or not, have trouble imagining why anyone would not ...
 
Who would believe? On this Easter weekend, a group of atheists are meeting at a downtown hotel to develop fellowship and discuss goals. ...
 
The US Supreme Court decision in June 2000 that allowed the Boy Scouts of America to bar gays and atheists has been producing legal and political fallout ever ...
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BOOKS / FILMS / THEATRE / TV
 
The Reading File:  Where's the Evidence? - NYT
Humanity must, ultimately, abandon faith for reason, argues Sam Harris in "Imagine There's No Heaven: An Atheist Manifesto."
 
Commentary on 'The Bible Fraud'
 
Pat Robertson, interview about his new book, "Miracles Can Be Yours Today. "
Judas the Redeemed - a review by Adam Gopnick of the Gospel of Judas.
 
Randy Olson becomes a director with "Flock of Dodos" showing at the upcoming Tribeca film festival.
 
Brief History of Disbelief is a 2005 documentary series conducted by Jonathan Miller for the BBC
tracing the history of Atheism.
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EVOLUTION / CREATIONISM / INTELLIGENT DESIGN
 
 
The new species may become an icon of evolution.
 
Anthropologists Discover A 'Missing Link' in Human Evolution
... more modern ape-man ancestors. Scientists say the discovery fills a major gap in human evolution. The new fossils were discovered ...
 
"We just found the chain of evolution, the continuity through time" 

Editorial | 'Tiktaalik': New Link in Evolution's Chain - Philadelphia Inquirer
... other. Evolution isn't waiting around for us to fill in the holes; it marches on. "Missing" simply means we haven't found it yet. ...

Media Overblows Claims of "Human Evolution": Examining the Newest ... - Discovery Institute
... phenomenon that only after discovering a new "missing link" will evolutionists acknowledge the previously paltry state of fossil evidence for evolution. ...

Creationism theme park 'Dinosaur Adventure Land' still must obey earthly laws or face extinction.
 
Investigating the origins of language in a new way.
 
A Meat Eater Bigger Than T. Rex Is Unearthed -NYT
A new dinosaur species, one of the largest known carnivorous dinosaurs, has emerged from the red sandstone of Patagonia.
The Royal Society yesterday issued a strongly worded attack on the teaching of creationism as a leading scientist compared it to the theory that babies are brought by storks.
 
Lizard 'Third Eye' Sheds Light on Evolution of Color Vision - AScribe
... the blue-green color comparison method used by the parietal eye is not one shared by humans, it does reveal one potential step in the evolution of color vision ...
 
spiked-culture | Article | The creation of a phantom enemy

It is the scientific establishment's own self-doubt that lies at the root of the furore over creationism.

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HUMOR
 
President Bush, already facing the lowest approval ratings in history, is coming under fire from former supporters over what they call his "ineffectual and incompetent" use of prayer for national guidance and assistance.
 
http://www.youtube.com/signup_login?ci=2F3740DB6C3B0A3A
Stephen Colbert from the Daily Show With Jon Stewart piece on a Ten Commandments monument in Alabama that was taken out of the city's court.
... reduced? Why does the brain resemble a bowl of noodles? How should evolution be taught in our school systems?
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SCIENCE
 
Planet Venus today, is its Earth furure?
 
Seeking Ancestry in DNA Ties Uncovered by Tests
Ethnic ancestry tests are spurring a thorough exploration of the question, What is in it for me?
 
Make sure children learn the value of science
 
A Crystal Ball Submerged in a Test Tube - NYT
A new wave of sophisticated genetic tests is reshaping the diagnostics business and could pave the way to personalized medicine.
 
How dying hearts can heal themselves. By William Saletan - SLATE
Scientists are trying to regrow lost or worn-out body parts. "Blastema regeneration" helps spiders rebuild legs, salamanders rebuild limbs and jaws, ...
 
Findings:  A Real Flip-Flopper, at 3 Trillion Times a Second
A subatomic particle switches into its upside-down mirror-image evil-twin antimatter opposite and then back again.
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SEPARATION
 
Central United Methodist Church and Second Baptist Church got 690-thousand dollars for cleanup work before the Super Bowl.
 
AU's Lynn Says 'Faith-Based' Point Man Was First Amendment Foe ...
Common Dreams
Americans United for Separation of Church and State today applauded the departure of White House “Faith Czar” James Towey and urged ...
 
Notre Dame may have to repay $500K federal grant - Chicago Sun-Times
... US Education Department seeking an injunction against the government giving the money to Notre Dame, arguing it violated the separation of church and state. ...
 
THE CHRISTIAN NATION MOVEMENT AND THE ALABAMA-BAN
Huffington Post
... United States of America is a Christian nation.” The Christian nation movement is part of an escalating assault on the separation of church and state by the ...
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MISC.
 
American Humanist Association National Conference
May 11-14, 2006 - Tampa, Florida
 
JUNE 24-25, 2006
 
The Gospel of Judas offers proof that Judas Iscariot might have been part of a divine plan.
 
Would the terrible legacy of anti-Semitism have been different if the "bad Judas" were not in the Christian canon from the start?
 
Gospel sheds new light on the historical relationship between Judas and Christ.
 
The real debate is whether the text says anything historically legitimate about Jesus and Judas.
 
The text, the scholarship and the scandal.
 
Emergence of the Gospel of Judas Offers a Tangled Tale of Its Own - NYT 
New details about the manuscript call into question the relationship between antiquities dealers, museums and collectors.

National Day of Reason: Home Page 
Secular response to national day of prayer - May 4, 2006
 
Responsible religious leaders will breathe a sigh of relief at the news that so-called intercessory prayer is medically ineffective.
 
Prayers offered by strangers don't help, but people who pray don't need studies
 
The Reverend James Martin's comments on the Gospel of Judas.
 
Man's first known trip to the dentist 9,000 years ago.
 
Beset by creditors, more than 2 million in debt, Pat Robertson organization struggles as base diminishes
 
To worship god is not the meaning of live nor the purpose of existence is to embrace the Christian church.
 
Op-Ed Contributor:  Christ Among the Partisans - NYT
What would Jesus do? Stay away from politics.
 
Divisions in the evangelicals are beginning to appear.
 
...the idea of a sacred Judas always seemed rational to me, at least in Christian terms. The New Testament tells us firmly that Jesus went to Jerusalem at Passover to die and to fulfill certain ancient prophecies by doing so.
 
Mailings from Saint Matthew's Churches often contain items, such as ''miracle cakes,'' coins, prayer cloths and fake currency. An attorney for the organization said they are faith items that help believers focus their prayers.
 
The News-Gazette.com: ACLU fighting for freedom from religion
 ... Unlike the religious organizations that the ACLU is fighting on issues concerning the Boy Scouts, ...
My Struggle with Disbelief
 
Debate between Dembski v. Shermer.
 
Why the religious left isnt the answer.
 
Financial disclosures win praise
 
Every year, many thousands of young girls, living in Muslim inhabited communities in European countries face forced marriages.
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Section 2 of  4
CFA PROGRAMS

 

The Center for Atheism (CFA) was established by New York City

Atheists as a separate and independent national organization to

propose, develop and be a catalyst for new national activities

supporting the objectives of atheists, agnostics, humanists,

freethinkers, skeptics, secularists and separation-of-church/state

advocates.

CFA will accept and review suggestions from individuals and

other secular organizations that will foster our goals

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SECULAR COMMUNITY'S RESPONSE TO THE NATIONAL DAY     
OF PRAYER

The Center for Atheism is proposing that on Thursday, May 4, 2006, 
the local Secular Community's organizations, chapters, affiliates, individuals, etc. respond to the National Day of Prayer with their own local  Secular B.L.O.O.D. (Benefiting Lives Of Others Donations) program.
 
The program consists of:
(1) blood donation
(2) organ donation sign-up

BLOOD DONATION
To find your local Blood Donation Center
click on:
next:
bottom right of the web page put in your zip code.

Organ Donation Sign Up Program
Download the Organ Donation Form

 

QUESTIONS: Ken Bronstein - FIREBELL1@AOL.COM / 212-535-7425

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SECTION 3 OF 4                                                            

SPECIAL NOTICES

 

CENTER FOR ATHEISM (CFA) SEARCHING FOR WASHINGTON, D.C. BASED LOBBYIST

To establish a Washington D.C. based Atheist Lobby and Public Relations center.

The Center for Atheism (CFA) is seeking a full or part-time person,

with significant experience on Capitol Hill as a lobbyist.

The Position will consist of working with government and                     
congressional officials and their staffs, other lobbyists, coalitions,                            

think tanks, academia, the media, etc. to enhance the public image
and promote policies and legislation favorable to Atheism.

See the Center For Atheism (CFA) http://www.centerforatheism.org/ website for

responsibilities and qualifications. 

Contact: centerforatheism@aol.com                                                                                                                   

or Ken Bronstein / 212-535-7425
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SECTION 4 OF 4
LEGISLATION ALERTS

* Click on bill to read its description
* enter your zip code to find your elected officials
* this will bring you to a message page
* use template to compose message
* send message