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FEATURED ARTICLES Nonprofit group protests religious invocations at Tampa City Council Tampabay.com Most are Christian, but some are Jewish, and one was an atheist. Now a nonprofit group based in Wisconsin wants the pre-meeting prayers stopped. ... http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/nonprofit-group-protests-religious-invocations-at-tampa-city-council/1062156 Delaware government: Critic questions official prayers The News Journal On one side is Wilmington resident David C. Martin and the Americans United for Separation of Church and State, who say it is a violation of the US ... http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20091231/NEWS02/912310350 Group wants council prayers eliminated Tampa Tribune Now a nationwide watchdog for separation of church and state has taken aim at the practice, contending that council members are violating the separation ... http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/dec/31/na-group-wants-council-prayers-eliminated/ ATHEISM The Year In Atheism AlterNet Have you been missing out on one of AlterNet's most popular authors? Here are 10 of Christina's best works from the year... http://www.alternet.org/story/144654/atheism_was_one_of_the_year's_hottest_topics,_and_greta_christina_caught_the_wave_as_well_as_anyone BOOKS, FILM, THEATRE, TV, YOU TUBE California Science Center is sued for canceling a film promoting intelligent ... Los Angeles Times Intelligent design is the theory that an intelligent being, rather than impersonal forces such as Darwinian natural selection, is responsible for shaping ... http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/arts/la-et-science-center29-2009dec29,0,6400745.story California Science Center sued over documentary attacking evolution Los Angeles Times (blog) ... has been sued for allegedly canceling an October screening of a documentary that criticizes Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. ... http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/12/california-science-center-sued-over-documentary-attacking-evolution.html "Darwin's Dilemma" Is Science Center's Problem NBC Los Angeles Supporters of intelligent design believe a "designer" is behind life on Earth. Others, including a Pennsylvania judge, call it a form of Creationism. ... http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local-beat/Lawsuit-Claims-Science-Center-Violated-1st-Amendment-80353772.html EVOLUTION, CREATIONISM, I.D. Gene Mutations Behind Brain Reduction BusinessWeek Until now, little has been known about the molecular processes involved in this evolution and their genetic underpinnings. Now we have a piece of that ... http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/634248.html So you think you can dance? Sydney Morning Herald Creationists may have to concede defeat in their fight against the theory of evolution after Darwinists produced the ace up their sleeve: "dad dancing". ... http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/so-you-think-you-can-dance-20091226-lflm.html Viruses that adapted to high temperatures may jump species more easily Daily News & Analysis It was the first genome ever sequenced and often is used by scientists who study evolution because it has a small genome and multiplies quickly. ... http://www.dnaindia.com/scitech/report_viruses-that-adapted-to-high-temperatures-may-jump-species-more-easily_1328074 Burke Museum exhibit celebrates the intersection of art and science TheNewsTribune.com They are being used to illustrate the evolution of life on Earth. “We had space left over, so there we have designed a space for education. ... http://www.thenewstribune.com/soundlife/story/1007820.html Some genes boost odds for distributing variety of traits, drive evolution Daily News & Analysis Their proposed amended view of evolution is based on observations of genetic patterns outside of a cell's DNA and may better explain how organisms, ... http://www.dnaindia.com/scitech/report_some-genes-boost-odds-for-distributing-variety-of-traits-drive-evolution_1328373 Freshwater says he can't remember Lego experiment Columbus Dispatch The Mount Vernon school board voted last year to fire Freshwater for teaching creationism and intelligent design, failing to remove religious materials from ... http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/12/30/freshwater-testifies-on-his-behalf.html?sid=101 SCIENCE Vampires and Collisions Rejuvenate Stars ScienceDaily (Dec. 26, 2009) — Using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have uncovered two distinct kinds of "rejuvenated" stars in the globular cluster Messier 30. A new study shows that both stellar collisions and a process sometimes called vampirism are behind this cosmic "face lift."... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091223133339.htm Further Progress Toward AIDS Vaccine: Rabies-Virus Vaccine Protects Monkeys ScienceDaily (Dec. 26, 2009) — Researchers from Thomas Jefferson University are one step closer to developing a vaccine against the AIDS disease... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091214121527.htm Sun and Moon Trigger Deep Tremors on San Andreas Fault ScienceDaily (Dec. 25, 2009) — The faint tug of the sun and moon on the San Andreas Fault stimulates tremors deep underground, suggesting that the rock 15 miles below is lubricated with highly pressurized water that allows the rock to slip with little effort, according to a new study by University of California, Berkeley, seismologists... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091223133347.htm Growing Evidence Suggests Progesterone Should Be Considered a Treatment Option for Traumatic Brain Injuries ScienceDaily (Dec. 25, 2009) — Researchers at Emory University in Atlanta, GA, recommend that progesterone (PROG), a naturally occurring hormone found in both males and females that can protect damaged cells in the central and peripheral nervous systems, be considered a viable treatment option for traumatic brain injuries, according to a clinical perspective... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091222121759.htm Weir in Space and Dimmed Sun Creates 200-Million-Mile-Long Lab Bench for Turbulence Research ScienceDaily (Dec. 25, 2009) — Physicists working in space plasmas have made clever use of the Ulysses spacecraft and the solar minimum to create a massive virtual lab bench to provide a unique test for the science underlying turbulent flows... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091211131524.htm Do Computers Understand Art? ScienceDaily (Dec. 25, 2009) — A team of researchers from the University of Girona and the Max Planck Institute in Germany has shown that some mathematical algorithms provide clues about the artistic style of a painting. The composition of colours or certain aesthetic measurements can already be quantified by a computer, but machines are still far from being able to interpret art in the way that people do... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091223094738.htm How the Brain Encodes Memories at a Cellular Level ScienceDaily (Dec. 25, 2009) — Scientists at UC Santa Barbara have made a major discovery in how the brain encodes memories. The finding, published in the December 24 issue of the journal Neuron, could eventually lead to the development of new drugs to aid memory... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091223125125.htm Keck Telescopes Gaze Into Young Star's 'Life Zone' ScienceDaily (Dec. 25, 2009) — The inner regions of young planet-forming disks offer information about how worlds like Earth form, but not a single telescope in the world can see them. Yet, for the first time, astronomers using the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii have measured the properties of a young solar system at distances closer to the star than Venus is from our sun... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091223222226.htm Cassini Holiday Movies Showcase Dance of Saturn's Moons ScienceDaily (Dec. 24, 2009) — Like sugar plum fairies in "The Nutcracker," the moons of Saturn performed a celestial ballet before the eyes of NASA's Cassini spacecraft. New movies frame the moons' silent dance against the majestic sweep of the planet's rings and show as many as four moons gliding around one another... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091223221937.htm Herschel Space Telescope Uncovers Sources of Cosmic Infrared Background ScienceDaily (Dec. 24, 2009) — A weak cosmic infrared radiation field that reaches Earth from all directions contains not yet deciphered messages about the evolution of galaxies. Using first observations with the PACS Instrument on board ESA's Herschel Space Telescope, scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics and... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091220175052.htm World's First Molecular Transistor Created ScienceDaily (Dec. 24, 2009) — A group of scientists has succeeded in creating the first transistor made from a single molecule. The team, which includes researchers from Yale University and the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology in South Korea, published their findings in the December 24 issue of the journal Nature... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091223133343.htm Youthful Appearance of Stars Known as Blue Stragglers Explained ScienceDaily (Dec. 24, 2009) — For almost 50 years, astronomers have puzzled over the youthful appearance of stars known as blue stragglers... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091223133459.htm Fine-Tuning Treatments For Depression ScienceDaily (Dec. 24, 2009) — New research clarifies how neurotransmitters like norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine, are regulated -- a finding that may help fine-tune therapies for depression... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091018141554.htm New Warbler Discovered in Laos ScienceDaily (Dec. 24, 2009) — A diminutive, colorful bird living in the rocky forests of Laos and Vietnam has been discovered by a team of scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society, Lao PDR Department of Forestry, Swedish University of Agricultural Science, Swedish Museum of Natural History, BirdLife International and other groups... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091222105318.htm SEPARATION CHURCH / STATE Illinois police protect atheist sign UPI.com 24 (UPI) -- A conservative candidate for Illinois comptroller was ordered out of the state Capitol for trying to remove a sign placed by an atheist group, ... http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2009/12/24/Illinois-police-protect-atheist-sign/UPI-14301261709429/ In Reversal, Stars Adorn Trees Again New York Times “It is very offensive to agnostics, atheists and those who believe in separation of church and state to be subjected to this by their government. ... http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/25/us/25tree.html?_r=1 RI field fight part of bigger church-state dispute Washington Post A fight over athletic fields in this city goes well beyond who gets to play soccer where, and is raising thorny questions about separation of church and ... http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2009/12/27/ri_field_fight_part_of_bigger_church_state_dispute/ Children's home faces challenge OneNewsNow ... the children's home, points out that the American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for Separation of Church and State initiated the lawsuit. ... http://www.onenewsnow.com/Legal/Default.aspx?id=827034 Pennsylvania County Agrees to Remove Religious Symbols From ... ... Courthouse after receiving a letter from Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania. ... http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2009/12/17-8 Issaquah school board asked to remove Pledge of Allegiance from meetings Newcastle News “The words 'under God' in the pledge are offensive to your atheist residents in this school district,” Barry said at the meeting. “A study from last year, ... http://www.newcastle-news.com/2009/12/28/resident-asks-school-board-to-remove-pledge-of-allegiance-from-meetings LAPD Drops Boy Scouts Over Discrimination Gay Vantage ... ties with the Boy Scouts of America because of the youth groups policies that discriminate against LGBT youth and those that are atheist or agnostic. ... http://www.gayvantage.com/gay-news/lapd-drops-boy-scouts-over-discrimination-48372011/ Europe talks with faiths it once thought would fade Reuters UK "Countries that were heading for a stricter separation of church and state, as in France, are now more open to religion while countries where the state was ... http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE5BS18M20091229?sp=true Same-sex couples say, 'I do' The Union Leader Any law on it is an infringement on the concept of separation of church and state. By signing this bill, the legislature and the governor became pawns of ... http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Same-sex+couples+say%2C+'I+do'&articleId=ce53705b-7dc1-416c-99ca-1ff39af6d2fa South Windsor, Under Pressure, Moves Graduation Out Of Cathedral Hartford Courant By JOSEPH A. O'BRIEN Special to The Courant SOUTH WINDSOR — - The board of education has sidestepped a legal fight over the separation of church and state ... http://www.courant.com/community/south-windsor/hc-church-state1231.artdec30,0,4163558.story MISCELLANEOUS Theologian determines God's IQ - intelligent design questioned The Spoof (satire) In post-modern times, 'intelligent design' is the theory most often offered as a challenge to Darwinian evolution. According to the theory of intelligent ... http://www.thespoof.com/news/spoof.cfm?headline=s5i65765 Vic Chesnutt, Singer and Songwriter, Dies at 45 New York Times “I'm not a victim/Oh, I am an atheist,” Mr. Chesnutt sang in “Speed Racer,” from his first album, “Little,” produced by Michael Stipe of REM and released in ... http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/26/arts/music/26chesnutt.html Friendly Atheist by @hemantsblog » Are You Around Your Religious ... to find some atheist friends and use as many of these lines as I can over the Christmas period. I know that's kind of the unpoint, but I don't [...] ... http://friendlyatheist.com/2009/12/22/are-you-around-your-religious-family-for-the-holidays/ ================================================== |