THE   FOCUS
centerforatheism.org

October 12, 2007 Volume 3, Issue 42
Published by the Center For Atheism (CFA)

Editor: Kenneth Bronstein

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: focus@centerforatheism.org.


 
         
       Featured Articles
     Are US troops being force-fed Christianity? | csmonitor.com
       A watchdog group alleges that improper evangelizing is occurring within the ranks.

       State Sen. Ernie Chambers Sues God - News Story - KETV Omaha
         State Sen. Ernie Chambers Sues god. Chambers Aims To Make Point About 
       Frivolous Lawsuits.
 
      Definition: Religion? - Harvard Crimson
      Although a definition is a necessity, the government must act with the utmost caution,
      lest it violate the paramount separation of church and state. ...

  News Articles
  (Some publications may require that you sign up for membership to view their article.)



ATHEISM 

Religion Must Be Destroyed, Atheists Say - NewsMax.com
"Rather than declare ourselves atheists, I think we should emphasize reason," Harris added. While the audience gave Dawkins a standing ovation, ...

Atheists on the rise - Kansas City Star
And atheists themselves are becoming much more vocal. Take columnist and author Christopher Hitchens. Recently he said a new book laying out Mother Teresa's ...

Welcome to This World, Lyra and Sophia - Washington Post
We were delighted to hold the ceremony at the Atheist Alliance International annual convention, in Washington, DC, Sept. 30.

Athieists stand proud - Sacramento Bee
Billed as a "celebration of reason and church/state separation," the event attracted nonbelievers in search of kindred spirits.

Air America Launches Nationwide Atheism Program - CNSNews.com
By Nathan Burchfiel (CNSNews.com) - The liberal talk radio network Air America announced this week it will launch a nationwide show focusing on atheism. ..

American atheists will be among friends at group's annual convention
International Herald Tribune
"It's also a chance to recharge your batteries for separation of church-state activism." The foundation, based in Madison since its founding in the 1970s ...

BOOKS, FILM, TV, YOU TUBE

Thou Shalt Not Kill, Except in a Game at Church - New York Times
Ministers desperate to reach young congregants are using an unusual recruiting tool: the violent video game Halo.

Some Catholic Leaders Upset Over New Nicole Kidman Movie - FOX News
The Catholic League is urging Christians to stay away from this movie, saying Pullman's objective is to bash Christianity and promote atheism to kids. ...

http://www.humaniststudies.org/enews/?id=318&article=2
Book review: A fanciful children's book for freethought parents.

How atheism is being sold to America - WorldNetDaily
"This is atheism's moment," crowed David Steinberger, CEO of Perseus Books in a Wall Street Journal interview. "Mr. Hitchens has written the category killer ...

EVOLUTION, CREATIONISM, I.D.

Ancient African Megadroughts May Have Driven Human Evolution ... - Science Daily
... during the early Late Pleistocene provides new insights into humans' migration out of Africa and the evolution of fishes in Africa's Great Lakes. ...

SCIENCE

In a Lifetime of Sickle Cell, the Evolution of a Disease -New York Times
Most sickle cell anemia patients do not live long enough to span generations of doctors. But Gladys Jacobs was around when I was a ...

Blood Vessels Grown From Patient’s Skin - New York Times

For the first time, scientists have successfully implanted blood vessels grown from a patient’s own cells.
 
How Baboons Think (Yes, Think) - New York Times
Reading a baboon’s mind affords an excellent grasp of the dynamics of baboon society.
3 Win Nobel in Medicine for Gene Technology - New York Times

Two Americans and a Briton won the 2007 Nobel Prize in medicine yesterday for their work in gene targeting.

Blood Vessels Grown From Patient’s Skin - New York Times
For the first time, scientists have successfully implanted blood vessels grown from a patient’s own cells.

Seeking Columbus’s Origins, With a Swab - New York Times

DNA analysis may help solve a long-running dispute between those who would claim alternative bragging rights to Christopher Columbus.
Stretching the Search for Signs of Life - New York Times
Astronomers are planning to switch on the first elements of a giant new array of radio telescopes that will greatly extend the investigation of natural and ...

SEPARATION CHURCH / STATE 

A Nation of Christians Is Not a Christian Nation - New York Times
The founders wanted faith to be one thread in the country’s tapestry, not the whole tapestry.

MISCELLANEOUS

  
  Nuns' Evictions Pose Perception Problem for Catholic Church ... - WASHINGTON POST
  In Southern California, where the Roman Catholic Church has agreed to pay victims of 
  pedophile priests $660 million, ...
 
  Polish police evicts rebellious nuns from convent | Oddly Enough ...
  Polish police evicts rebellious nuns from convent ... The nuns have defied an eviction
  order for two years and had to get by without electricity and water ...
 
  Thou shalt not steal -- especially the Bible | Oddly Enough | Reuters
  A Singaporean judge sentenced a man to four months in jail for stealing a Bible, 
  admonishing him with Scripture before hauling him off ...

  How China Got Its Religion - New York Times
  We may laugh at China's reincarnation laws, but the measures reflect a sentiment not
  unknown to the West.
 
  Legal or Not, Abortion Rates Compare - New York Times
  A comprehensive global study of abortion suggests that outlawing the procedure does
  little to deter women seeking it.
 
  CONVENTIONS / MEETINGS 
    FFRF Annual Convention - Oct. 12-14, 2007 - Madison, Wisconsin

    CFI NYC - The Secular Society and its Enemies - Nov. 9 - 11, 2007 - New York City
 
             
        CFA Program
 

The Center for Atheism (CFA) was established by the 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-and-state advocates.

CFA will accept and review suggestions from individuals and other secular organizations that will foster our goals.

          Special Notices

          There are no special notices this week.
          Legislation Alerts

          Stop creationists' federal money grab
.
Comments, suggestions, and subscriptions: focus@centerforatheism.org