THE   FOCUS

June 15, 2008
Volume 4, Issue 24
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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FEATURED ARTICLES
Findlay struggles with that whole separation of church and state thing
Cleveland Scene Weekly - Cleveland,OH,USA
But since the government has largely given up on enforcing the separation of church and state, the ACLU kindly stepped in. It's threatened to sue the ...
http://www.clevescene.com/2008-06-11/news/findlay-struggles-with-that-whole-separation-of-church-and-state-thing

Louisiana House approves creationist bill
ScienceBlogs - USA
Forrest is the author of Creationism's Trojan Horse: The Wedge of Intelligent Design and has served as an expert witness on the issue of intelligent design ...
http://scienceblogs.com/tfk/2008/06/louisiana_house_approves_creat.php

Denver Daily News - Denver,CO,USA
Along with the Freedom From Religion Foundation, Tiernan has filed or threatened to file several lawsuits challenging situations of church and state. ...
http://www.thedenverdailynews.com/article.php?aID=766

Fl. teachers union sues state over voucher vote
Fort Mills Times - Fort Mill,SC,USA
They were joined by other groups that advocate church-state separation for the lawsuit filed here in state Circuit Court. A lawyer for the organizations ...
http://www.fortmilltimes.com/124/story/194829.html

 

  News Articles
  (Some publications may require that you sign up for membership to view their article.)
 
ATHEISM
Intelligence linked to atheism
NEWS.com.au - Australia
By staff writers PEOPLE with high IQs are less likely to believe in God, according to a new study. A leading psychology professor at Ulster University said ...
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23860215-1702,00.html

BOOKS, FILM, THEATRE, TV, YOU TUBE
This is Reason.tv!
Reason Online - Los Angeles,CA,USA
... were rejected for jobs at reason magazine; Anthony Bourdain praising foie gras; Christopher Hitchens singing secular Christmas songs; and much more. ...
http://reason.com/blog/show/126908.html
Scientist's oceanic plea warns of imminent reef eulogy

The Age - Melbourne,Victoria,Australia
Photo: Great Barrier Reef Marine Park A JOHN Veron's fascination with the natural world saw him renamed Charlie, for Charles Darwin, as a kid, ...
http://www.theage.com.au/national/scientists-oceanic-plea-warns-of-imminent-reef-eulogy-20080606-2myo.html

YOU WON'T BELIEVE THE RELIGULOUS TRAILER
Cinematic Happenings Under Development - New York,NY,USA
... Jeremy Smith By Devin Faraci By Devin Faraci On my flight back from the Friday the 13th set visit in Austin, I read Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion. ...
http://chud.com/articles/articles/15086/1/YOU-WON039T-BELIEVE-THE-RELIGULOUS-TRAILER/Page1.html

Religulous Trailer
You Tube - Broadcast Yourself
http://youtube.com/watch?v=qB8fPJ6zds8

Religion
Funny Or Die
http://us.f579.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?DMid=832_997968_13739_440_8410_0_42965_29490_1234261125&YY=99550&y5beta=yes&y5beta=yes&inc=25&order=down&sort=date&pos=0&view=a&head=b&box=Draft

EVOLUTION, CREATIONISM, I.D.
Bill Opens Door To Opposing Evolution Views
WXMI - Grand Rapids,MI,USA
LANSING — It's been a touchy subject for decades: How science is taught in schools, especially subjects like evolution. It's a theory, but most in the ...
http://fox17.trb.com/news/060608-wxmi-evolution,0,1890027.story

Intelligent Design Lab is Going Where no Evolution Simulation has ...
Discovery Institute - Seattle,WA,USA
Over the past decade or so there has been much hype about computer simulations of Darwinian evolution. The most hyped is Avida at the MSU Digital Evolution ...
http://www.evolutionnews.org/2008/06/intelligent_design_lab_is_goin.html

Evolution bill close to approval; lawsuits expected
2TheAdvocate - Baton Rouge,LA,USA
... give science teachers more freedom to hold freewheeling classroom discussions, including arguments that challenge Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. ...
http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/politics/19813589.html

Legislation opens classroom doors to alternative views of ...
MLive.com - MI,USA
Teachers shouldn't be prevented from discussing alternative views of evolution, global warming and other controversial topics in their science classes, ...
http://blog.mlive.com/grpress/2008/06/legislation_opens_classroom_do.html

New front opens on evolution wars
Washington Times - Washington,DC,USA
Mr. Stern said a survey of Louisiana public school science teachers a few years ago showed that many felt uncomfortable teaching evolution, global warming ...
http://washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jun/12/new-front-opens-on-evolution-wars/
SCIENCE
Complex Synapses Drove Brain Evolution
Science Daily (press release) - USA
The research suggests that it is not size alone that gives more brain power, but that, during evolution, increasingly sophisticated molecular processing of ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080608131209.htm

Business park site to be preserved for 'at risk' bird species
Schenectady Gazette - Schenectady,NY,USA
Einstein said it's not uncommon for some species to be transients, but the survey pointed to the likelihood that the northern harrier frequents the site in ...
http://mail.google.com/mail/?hl=en&tab=wm#inbox/11a69b96d7152efb

Study traces the evolution of the human brain
Telegraph.co.uk - United Kingdom
Instead, he found that, during evolution, increasingly sophisticated molecular processing of nerve impulses - notably by providing more connections in the ...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/mainjhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/earth/2008/06/09/scibrain109.xml

Molecular evolution of extinct lineages
ScienceBlogs - USA
We report five new complete mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genomes of Siberian woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius), sequenced with up to 73-fold coverage from ...
http://scienceblogs.com/gnxp/2008/06/molecular_evolution_of_extinct.php?utm_source=sbhomepage&utm_medium=link&utm_content=channellink

Complex wiring key to brain's evolution; researchers
The Tech Herald - Indianapolis,IN,USA
by Rich Bowden - Jun 9 2008, 19:59 Articles - RichThe evolution of the brain towards that of a higher intelligence was driven as much by its complex wiring ...
http://www.thetechherald.com/article.php/200824/1193/Complex-wiring-key-to-brain-s-evolution-researchers

Evolution, Life Sciences, Science Education, Human Evolution, and ...
ScienceBlogs - USA
... and thus created a sort of "protocell" made out of fatty acids likely to have been present on Earth during the early evolution of life. ...
http://chronicle.com/news/article/4668/darwin-defeated-in-the-bayou-louisiana-encourages-critical-thinking-about-evolution
SEPARATION CHURCH / STATE
Henry vetoes 'Religious Viewpoints Antidiscrimination Act'
Tulsa World - Tulsa,OK,USA
Thank God somebody still believes in SEPARATION of church and state. The founders believed that no matter what your preacher tells you. Way to go Gov! ...
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20080606_1__world33430

Prayer's presence, exclusion divisive
Grand Junction Sentinel - Grand Junction,CO,USA
Heather Weaver, an attorney with Americans United for Separation of Church and State, argues the sectarian nature of the City Council's prayers is ...
http://www.gjsentinel.com/hp/content/news/stories/2008/06/07/060808_1A_invocation.html

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ACLU (press release) - New York,NY,USA
NEW ORLEANS - Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Texas submitted a friend-of-the-court ...
http://www.aclu.org/religion/schools/35582prs20080609.html

City official 'certain' that prayer will be modified
Grand Junction Sentinel - Grand Junction,CO,USA
In a 17-page memorandum sent to the city late last week, Grand Junction attorney Bill Hugenberg outlined case law the atheist group believes supports its ...
http://www.gjsentinelcom/hp/content/news/stories/2008/06/09/061008_1a_invocation.html

Louisiana Will Face Lawsuit If New Law Brings Religion Into Public ...
Americans United - Washington,DC,USA
... door to teaching creationism in public schools, an action that is likely to spark litigation, says Americans United for Separation of Church and State. ...
http://www.au.org/site/News2?JServSessionIdr009=hsz0n8sj82.app7b&abbr=pr&page=NewsArticle&id=9881&security=1002&news_iv_ctrl=1241

IRS Should Investigate Minnesota Church for Electioneering, Says ...
Common Dreams (press release) - Portland,ME,USA
WASHINGTON, DC - June 11 - Americans United for Separation of Church and State today urged the Internal Revenue Service to investigate a Minnesota church ...
http://www.commondreams.org/news2008/0611-04.htm

Islam in America's public schools: Education or indoctrination?
San Francisco Chronicle - CA, USA
While groups such as People for the American Way, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the ACLU express outrage at any semblance of ...
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2008/06/11/cstillwell.DTL

Warroad preacher vows to put politics in his pulpit
Minneapolis Star Tribune - Minneapolis,MN,USA
Separation of Church and State is not to keep the state out of the Church, but keep the … read more Church out of the State. Don't you think Jesus would ...
http://www.startribune.com/politics/state/19810059.html?location_refer=Faith%20+%20Values

Americans United Challenges Florida Ballot Amendments That Would ...
Americans United - Washington,DC,USA
Americans United for Separation of Church and State has joined litigation in Florida designed to remove two ballot amendments that would erase religious ...
http://www.au.org/site/News2?JServSessionIdr009=stf21wbi71.app5b&abbr=pr&page=NewsArticle&id=9883&security=1002&news_iv_ctrl=1241
MISCELLANEOUS
Christian Theologians Prepare for Extraterrestrial Life
Wired News - USA
"And if there are incredibly advanced civilizations with a belief in God, I don't think Richard Dawkins will start believing."
http://www.wired.com/science/space/news/2008/06/alien_religion?currentPage=all
 
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 Atheists  Alliance International                         Sept. 25-28, 2008     Long Beach, Ca.
 
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