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April 10, 2009
Volume 5, Issue 15
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.
Comments, suggestions and subscription: info@centerforatheism.org.
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FEATURED ARTICLES
Atheist wins right to have baptism removed as he did not consent ... Telegraph.co.uk - United Kingdom An
atheist has won the right to have his baptism removed from Church of
England records after claiming he was too young to give his consent to
the ceremony. ... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/5132964/Atheist-wins-right-to-have-baptism-removed-as-he-did-not-consent-as-a-baby.html
Early Alarm for Church on Abusers in the Clergy By LAURIE GOODSTEIN - Published: April 2, 2009 The
founder of a Roman Catholic religious order that ran retreat centers
for troubled priests warned American bishops in forceful letters dating
back to 1952 that pedophiles should be removed from the priesthood
because they could not be cured... http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/03/us/03church.html
Spanish Court Weighs
Inquiry on Torture for 6 Bush-Era Officials By MARLISE SIMONS - Published: March 28, 2009 LONDON
— A Spanish court has taken the first steps toward opening a criminal
investigation into allegations that six former high-level Bush
administration officials violated international law by providing the
legal framework to justify the torture of prisoners at Guantánamo Bay,
Cuba, an official close to the case said... http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/world/europe/29spain.html?_r=1&th&emc=th
ATHEISM
Dallas-area atheists discuss their outlook, relationships Dallas Morning News - Dallas,TX,USA Now
he's recognized as something that confuses and even frightens some –
he's an atheist. "When you tell someone you're not a theist, it's like
saying I'm ... http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/religion/stories/040409dnmetatheists.339f8a2.html
The End Christian America Newsweek - USA Meanwhile,
the number of people willing to describe themselves as atheist or
agnostic has increased about fourfold from 1990 to 2009, from 1 million
to ... http://www.newsweek.com/id/192583
Atheist group slowly evolving Topeka Capital Journal - Topeka,KS,USA FOR MORE Interested in the Atheist Community of Topeka? Go to its Web site, www.meetup.com/atheistcommunity/, or attend the group's lecture meeting at 6 pm ...
http://www.cjonline.com/news/local/2009-04-05/atheist_group_slowly_evolving
Billboard definitely not a sign from God
Charleston City Paper - Charleston,SC,USA Barker
does not claim to be a missionary of atheism, but there's hardly a
better way to describe him. As co-president of the Freedom From
Religion ... http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/charleston/billboard-definitely-not-a-sign-from-god/Content?oid=1144407
Losing our religion: Agnosticism on the rise around CMU Central Michigan Life - Mt. Pleasant,MI,USA The
Nonreligious, Atheist, Free Thinker and Agnostic Alliance is an RSO
that started earlier this semester and meets at 9 pm every Tuesday in
Brooks Hall ... http://media.www.cm-life.com/media/storage/paper906/news/2009/04/08/News/Losing.Our.Religion.Agnosticism.On.The.Rise.Around.Cmu-3701458.shtml
The anti-God squad Yorkshire Evening Post - Leeds,England,UK Not
that 24-year-old Norman and his colleagues in the Leeds Atheist Society
aren't used to being on the receiving end of extreme emotions. ... http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/features/The-antiGod-squad.5157341.jp
Coming Out: An Atheists Dilemma The Pendulum - Elon,NC,USA Fewer
than 1 percent of ARIS respondents self-identified as non believers,
0.9 percent as atheist and 0.7 percent as agnostic, while 12 percent
stated ... http://www.elon.edu/pendulum/Story.aspx?id=2027
Doctor pushes science over religion GW Hatchet (subscription) -
Washington,DC,USA A
table outside the entrance to the event was covered with literature for
organizations such as the Secular Student Alliance, the Atheist
Alliance ... http://media.www.gwhatchet.com/media/storage/paper332/news/2009/04/09/News/Doctor.Pushes.Science.Over.Religion-3704297.shtml
Canadians losing faith in religion: Poll Calgary Herald - AB, Canada He
was raised in a dogmatic protestant sect but has since come to call
himself an "atheist-humanist." "I don't believe in metaphysical things;
.. http://www.calgaryherald.com/Life/Canadians+losing+faith+religion+Poll/1482206/story.html
BOOKS, FILM, THEATRE, TV, YOU TUBE
Hemant Mehta’s step-by-step process to publication Examiner.com - USA By
night (all right, and also during the day) he’s “the eBay atheist” or
“the friendly atheist.” Hemant Mehta is the young author of I Sold My
Soul on eBay, ... http://www.examiner.com/x-5794-SF-Writers-Examiner%7Ey2009m4d4-Hemant-Mehtas-stepbystep-process-to-publication
EVOLUTION, CREATIONISM, I.D.
Texas rejects effort to require teaching of evolution 'weaknesses' Dallas Morning News - Dallas,TX,USA Critics
of evolution managed to add a few small caveats to the curriculum, but
none as sweeping as the strengths-and-weaknesses rule. ... http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/stories/DN-evolution_27tex.ART0.State.Edition1.4a7acaf.html
Texas science standards recall Dover intelligent design battle York Daily Record - York,PA,USA By
JEFF FRANTZ Eric Rothschild, one of the lawyers for the group of
parents that sued Dover school district over intelligent design in
2004, is surrounded ... http://ydr.inyork.com/ci_12066278
Retooled Texas Standards Raise Unease Among Science Groups Education Week News (subscription) -
Bethesda,MD,USA Supporters
of "intelligent design," he noted, have claimed that scientific
evidence supports their view—an assertion rejected by the vast majority
of ... http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/04/08/28evolution.h28.html
SCIENCE
Young Pulsar Shows Its Hand ScienceDaily
(Apr. 5, 2009) — A small, dense object only twelve miles in diameter is
responsible for a beautiful X-ray nebula that spans 150 light years... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090403181503.htm
Birds Can 'Read' Human Gaze ScienceDaily
(Apr. 4, 2009) — We all know that people sometimes change their
behavior when someone is looking their way. Now, a new study reported
online on April 2nd in Current Biology shows that jackdaws—birds
related to crows and ravens with eyes that appear similar to human
eyes—can do the same... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090402124238.htm
New X-ray Spectroscopic Tool
For Probing The Interstellar Medium ScienceDaily
(Apr. 4, 2009) — Astronomers are reporting the first clear detection of
signatures long sought in the spectra of X-ray astronomical sources... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090331101101.htm
Process For Making 'Unbreakable' Glass Developed ScienceDaily
(Apr. 4, 2009) — Wine glasses that don’t shatter? Baby bottles that
don’t break? Coffee mugs that last generations... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090401181915.htm
Hydrogen Cars Closer To Reality With New Storage System
ScienceDaily
(Apr. 4, 2009) — Researchers have developed a critical part of a
hydrogen storage system for cars that makes it possible to fill up a
vehicle's fuel tank within five minutes with enough hydrogen to drive
300 miles... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090402143750.htm
Hermit Arthropods 500 Million Years Ago?
ScienceDaily
(Apr. 4, 2009) — When animals first crawled onto land, one of the
greatest obstacles they had to contend with was figuring out how to
breathe. No longer bathed in oxygen-rich marine waters, their gills
would surely have dried out... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090331183512.htm
Unexpected Behavior Of Quantum Dots When Combining To Form Molecules
ScienceDaily
(Apr. 4, 2009) — A study has demonstrated that the behaviour of quantum
dots is different from that posited by atomic physics so far, and this
is due to the spin of the electron... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090401102946.htm
One Of Brightest Gamma-Ray Bursts Ever Seen
ScienceDaily
(Apr. 3, 2009) — Europe's Integral satellite has captured one of the
brightest gamma-ray bursts ever seen. A meticulous analysis of the data
has allowed astronomers to investigate the initial phases of this giant
stellar explosion, which led to the ejection of matter at velocities
close to the speed of light. In particular, the astronomers believe
that the explosion lifted a piece of the central engine’s magnetic
field into space... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090403080731.htm
Virus-built Battery Could Power Cars, Electronic Devices
ScienceDaily
(Apr. 3, 2009) — For the first time, MIT researchers have shown they
can genetically engineer viruses to build both the positively and
negatively charged ends of a lithium-ion battery... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090402143501.htm
Whole-brain Circuit Map Could Reveal What Goes Wrong In Autism, Schizophrenia And Other Brain Disorders
ScienceDaily
(Apr. 3, 2009) — Thirty-seven scientists from Cold Spring Harbor
Laboratory (CSHL) and 20 other major research institutions in the U.S.
and Europe have issued a major challenge to the neuroscience community.
At long last, the time has come, they argue in a just-published paper,
to assemble a comprehensive map of the major neural circuits in the
mammalian brain... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090331112629.htm
How Low Can It Go? Sun Plunges Into The Quietest Solar Minimum In A Century
ScienceDaily
(Apr. 3, 2009) — The sunspot cycle is behaving a little like the stock
market. Just when you think it has hit bottom, it goes even lower... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090402200749.htm
SEPARATION CHURCH / STATE
Iowa Supreme Court Ruling on Marriage Upholds Religious Liberty ... Common Dreams (press release) - Portland,ME,USA ...
down a state law banning same-sex marriage is a welcome reaffirmation
of religious liberty, says Americans United for Separation of Church
and State. ... http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2009/04/03-14
Catholic diocese bans sex-ed class in leased Perth Amboy school
The Star-Ledger - NJ.com - Newark,NJ,USA The
Perth Amboy busing solution is a twist on the issue of separation of
church and state, but some public school officials wonder if it could
become a ... http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/04/catholic_diocese_bans_sexed_cl.html
Group warns Nev. capital not to fund Twain church
The Associated Press (AP)
— A group that advocates the separation of church and state is warning
a Nevada city that it will sue if the city gives anymore money to a
church that ... http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jzfBt4VIcTy56g6LkJz_abdojAdAD97CSVSG0
Dungy doesn't make Obama's list Politico - Washington,DC,USA Dungy’s
potential appointment drew flak from liberal groups such as People for
the American Way and Americans United for Separation of Church and
State, ... http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0409/20956.html
GEORGIA: CHURCH-STATE SEPARATION BECOMES AN ISSUE AMID GOVERNMENT ...
EurasiaNet - New York,NY,USA The
Georgian constitution calls for a clear separation between church and
state, but critics believe that the financial relationship between
President ... http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insightb/articles/eav040609b.shtml
Separation of Church and School
Texas A&M The Battalion - College Station,TX,USA This
is where Americans draw the "separation of church and state" ideal
from, and has been interpreted by the Supreme Court to mean Congress
may not adopt ... http://media.www.thebatt.com/media/storage/paper657/news/2009/04/09/Opinion/Separation.Of.Church.And.School-3703993.shtml
Falmouth Town Meeting OKs funds for church repairs Cape Cod Times - Hyannis,MA,USA By
Aaron Gouveia FALMOUTH — Despite some concerns over separation of
church and state, town meeting voters overwhelmingly approved spending
nearly $200000 ... http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090408/NEWS/904080329/-1/NEWSMAP
Department of Health and Human Services Should Revoke Bush-Era ... Common Dreams (press release) - Portland,ME,USA WASHINGTON
- April 9 - Americans United for Separation of Church and State has
called on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to rescind
a ... http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2009/04/09-14
MISCELLANEOUS
Ronald Reagan tried to convert Mikhail Gorbachev to Christianity ...
Telegraph.co.uk - United Kingdom "The
president concluded that there was one thing he had long yearned to do
for his atheist son," according to the declassified minutes of the
meeting. ... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/5104259/Ronald-Reagan-tried-to-convert-Mikhail-Gorbachev-to-Christianity-aide-claims.html |
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