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Saturday, May 31, 2008Possible Ice On Mars Seen By Phoenix Lander Robotic Arm Camera
ScienceDaily -- Scientists have discovered what may be ice that was exposed when soil was blown away as NASA's Phoenix spacecraft landed on Mars last Sunday, May 25. The possible ice appears in an image the robotic arm camera took underneath the lander, near a footpad.
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 10:08 AM
E.T.? It's Hard To See In Hyped Video
The video was played at a downtown Denver news conference, after days of buildup from a Denver resident who is circulating a petition calling on the city to create an "Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission" to deal with reports of alien encounters. The petition drive's organizer, Jeff Peckman, hopes to get 4,000 signatures to place his initiative on the ballot.
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 10:05 AM
Teacher Tortures, Kills Boy
Multan, Pakistan - A blind seven-year-old student at an Islamic school in eastern Pakistan has died after his teacher punished him for not learning the Qu'ran, police said on Friday.
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 10:04 AM
Official: NATO Soldier Killed In Afghan Bombing
KABUL, Afghanistan - A suicide car bomber killed one NATO soldier and wounded at least seven other people, an Afghan official said on Saturday.
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 10:02 AM
Indonesian Police Reports Outline Terror Links
Members and associates of Jemaah Islamiyah are blamed for a string of suicide bombings in Southeast Asia that have together killed more than 240 people, most of them Western tourists, as well as a number of failed terror plots. The group had ties with al-Qaida and other foreign extremists before 2002, but most experts have thought the links had been broken since then.
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 9:58 AM
Egyptian Police Official: Weapons Cache Discovered
(AP) Boxes of ammunition, rocket-propelled grenades and anti-aircraft missiles have been found in a mountain in the northern Sinai peninsula, an Egyptian police official said Saturday.
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 9:57 AM
Key Provincial Elections Split Sunni Arabs In Iraq
(AP) Plans for provincial elections in Iraq by the fall have already set Sunni Arabs against each other as factions prepare to compete for control of the local governments that will wield considerable power over security and finances.
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 9:56 AM
Outrage As French Judge Annuls Muslim Marriage Over Bride's Virginity Lie
The annulment of a young Muslim couple's marriage because the bride was not a virgin has caused anger in France, prompting President Sarkozy's party to call for a change in the law.
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 9:53 AM
Turkish Christians In Distress
A surge of religiously motivated violence has resulted in the violent murder of three church members and brazen attacks on priests and has created a general sense of isolation and trepidation amongst Turkish Christians. This has been compounded by a growing nationalist sentiment in Turkish society that Christians seek to undermine the nation's sovereignty by promoting a faith that is seen by many as Western.
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 9:51 AM
Alzheimer's Plaques Cleared Up In Mice
ScienceDaily -- Blocking a common immune system response cleared up plaques associated with Alzheimer's Disease and enabled treated mice to recover some lost memory, Yale University researchers report May 30 in the journal Nature Medicine.
More... See also: Ibuprofen, Aspirin, Naproxen May Be Equally Effective At Reducing Risk Of Alzheimer's Disease
posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 9:48 AM
Friday, May 30, 2008U.S. Soldiers Launch Campaign To Convert Iraqis To Christianity
Some U.S. soldiers stationed in Iraq appear to have launched a major initiative to covert thousands of Iraqi citizens to Christianity by distributing Bibles and other fundamentalist Christian literature translated into Arabic to Iraqi Muslims.
More... See also: Marine Removed From Duty Over Bible Coin Reports U.S. reassigns Marine for passing out Bible verses to Muslims Insurgents Hide in Tanker to Attack Iraqi Police In Iraq, suicide bombing kills 16
posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 10:58 AM
The Taliban: An Organizational Analysis
Despite their quick overthrow in 2002 by a small coalition of U.S. forces and anti-Taliban groups, the Taliban has not gone away. In fact, today, in the face of thousands of NATO and U.S. troops, a growing Afghan National Army (ANA), and a popularly elected government, the movement's influence in Afghanistan is increasing. It continues to wage an insurgency that has prevented the new government from establishing legitimacy, and it has created massive unrest in Pakistan. Clearly, it behooves us to know something more about this archaic but formidable enemy."
More... See also: US terror drive stalled in political quagmire NATO Chief in Afghanistan Says Pakistan's Tack on Militants Is Not as Expected
posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 9:50 AM
Worshippers Shot Dead At Yemen Mosque
(CNN) -- A man opened fire at a Shiite mosque Friday in northern Yemen, killing seven and wounding 11, state-run news agency SABA said.
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 9:48 AM
'Moment' In Schools Banned For Now
Federal judge to weigh constitutionality of law requiring silent reflection.
More... See also: South Carolina Senate bill allows display of Lord's Prayer, 10 Commandments
posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 9:43 AM
The Boy Scouts' Free-Speech Fight
The City of Philadelphia wants the Boy Scouts to be prepared -- prepared, that is, to change their views on homosexuality or get out of the city-owned building they have occupied for 80 years.
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 9:38 AM
Scientology Protest: Liberty Challenges Police Over Summons
UK -- The police force that issued a teenager with a court summons for calling Scientology a cult could face a judicial review over the legality of its policing guidelines.
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 9:36 AM
Texas Takes DNA Samples Of Polygamist Leader
SAN ANGELO, Texas - Texas authorities have collected DNA swabs from jailed polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs for an ongoing criminal investigation, an official said Friday.
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 9:33 AM
Vatican Sends Threat Over Women Priests
ROME, Italy (CNN) -- The Vatican announced Thursday in a general decree that it will excommunicate anyone who would attempt to ordain a woman as a priest and the woman herself.
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 9:30 AM
Storm Erupts Over 'Virginity' Divorce
FRANCE plunged into a heated debate about its marriage laws today after learning that a court had annulled the union of two Muslims because the husband said the wife was not the virgin she had claimed to be.
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 9:28 AM
Fossil Reveals Oldest Live Birth
A fossil fish uncovered in Australia is the oldest-known example of a mother giving birth to live young, scientists have reported in the journal Nature.
The 380 million-year-old specimen has been preserved with an embryo still attached by its umbilical cord. More... See also: Mars' Water Appears To Have Been Too Salty To Support Life Synthetic Copycat Of Living Cell Underway: Life, But Not As We Know It?
posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 9:23 AM
Altruism In Social Insects Is A Family Affair
The contentious debate about why insects evolved to put the interests of the colony over the individual has been reignited by new research from the University of Leeds, showing that they do so to increase the chances that their genes will be passed on.
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 9:21 AM
Stonehenge Was A Place Of Burial, Researchers Say
WASHINGTON (AP) -- England's enigmatic Stonehenge served as a burial ground from its earliest beginnings and for several hundred years thereafter, new research indicates.
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 9:18 AM
'Uncontacted Tribe' Sighted In Amazon
(CNN) -- Researchers have produced aerial photos of jungle dwellers who they say are among the few remaining peoples on Earth who have had no contact with the outside world.
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 9:16 AM
Thursday, May 29, 2008Large Hadron Collider Enables Hunt For 'God' Particle To Complete 'Theory Of Everything'
ScienceDaily -- When the world's most powerful subatomic particle collider begins gathering data this summer, it will be a major milestone for a number of University of Washington scientists.
--snip-- Physicists the world over are hoping that Atlas will help unlock some deep scientific mysteries and perhaps even lead to discovery of the Higgs boson, sometimes called "the God particle" because it is believed its discovery will refine the understanding of exactly how the universe came to be and how it functions, and how mass came to be in the first place. More... See also: Probe lands on Mars, NASA says Mars lander begins its arm exercises
posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 9:50 AM
Religion Is A Product Of Evolution, Software Suggests
By distilling religious belief into a genetic predisposition to pass along unverifiable information, the program predicts that religion will flourish.
More... See also: Resource supply and the evolution of public-goods cooperation in bacteria
posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 9:45 AM
Marines Pass Out Gospel Verse To Iraqi Muslims, Iraqis Say
Fallujah, Iraq -- At the western entrance to the Iraqi city of Fallujah Tuesday, Muamar Anad handed his residence badge to the U.S. Marines guarding the city. They checked to be sure that he was a city resident, and when they were done, Anad said, a Marine slipped a coin out of his pocket and put it in his hand.
Out of fear, he accepted it, Anad said. When he was inside the city, the college student said, he looked at one side of the coin. "Where will you spend eternity?" it asked. He flipped it over, and on the other side it read, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16." More...
posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 9:41 AM
Matt Taibbi On The Daily Show
Taibbi talks about joining the ranks America's conspiratorial fringes to write "The Great Derangement".
More... See also: Enlightened Consumerism Stranger in a Strange Land Rapture Ready [Excerpt]
posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 9:37 AM
Crucifixion And Ice Cream
Amid cell phones ringing, video cams rolling and ice cream melting under the Florida sun, a blood-spattered Jesus stumbles through the crowd on his way to Golgotha, where nasty Roman soldiers strip him, nail him to the cross and crucify him -- while perspiring tourists look on in Bermuda shorts.
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 9:35 AM
Car Dealer Regrets Ads Urging Non-Christians To 'Sit Down And Shut up'
A radio ad that tells non-Christians to "sit down and shut up" has prompted a flood of phone calls to the Kern County car dealer who paid for the ads and now regrets airing them.
More... Earlier: Car dealership advert tells atheists to 'shut up'
posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 9:32 AM
Wisconsin Sheriff Has No Right To Impose Religion On Employees, Americans United Tells Appeals Court
A Wisconsin sheriff has no right to compel his employees to attend presentations by an evangelical Christian group, Americans United for Separation of Church and State has told a federal appeals court.
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 9:29 AM
AU Urges IRS To Investigate Religious Group's Fund-Raising For Washington State Gubernatorial Candidate
The Internal Revenue Service should investigate a Washington state religious group that engaged in fund-raising for a gubernatorial candidate, says Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 9:27 AM
Louisiana's Latest Creationism Bill Moves To House Floor
On May 21, 2008, Senate Bill 733 (PDF), the so-called Louisiana Science Education Act, was unanimously passed by the Louisiana House Education Committee. Before passage, the bill was amended slightly from the form which passed the Senate on April 29, 2008, as previously reported by NCSE. It now moves to the full House.
More... See also: Home-schoolers learn to argue against evolution Evolution Debate Pops Up in Maine District urged to abandon evolution No SAD 59 vote on evolution question
posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 9:21 AM
Gay Marriage Advances In Calif., New York
California Sets June 17 As Date For First Weddings; New York To Recognize Gay Marriages
More... See also: New York to recognize gay marriages
posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 9:17 AM
Pastor Accused Of Staging Crash, Killing Rancher To Inherit Millions
FRESNO, California (AP) -- The Rev. Howard Douglas Porter says he tried to brake before his truck plunged into an irrigation ditch, and that he made a desperate effort to save his elderly passenger from drowning in the mire.
But prosecutors in a murder trial scheduled to begin opening statements Thursday say the country preacher staged the crash as part of a far-fetched plot to kill the old rancher and inherit his millions. More...
posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 9:13 AM
Vatican Unveils Newly Restored Pagan Tomb
(AP) The Vatican unveiled the largest and most luxurious of the pagan tombs in the necropolis under St. Peter's Basilica on Tuesday after nearly a year of restoration work.
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 9:10 AM
Church Of Scotland Mediators To Quell Disputes
THE Church of Scotland will hire mediators to handle mutinous parishioners clashing with ministers over the interpretation of Christian doctrine.
A third of the kirk's 1,200 congregations are in squabbles between church-goers and ministers, says a report calling for independent "peace-makers" to be used to quell disputes. The infighting has been blamed on the growing influence of atheist writers such as Richard Dawkins, the evolutionist whose book The God Delusion challenges religious faith and the "irrational" belief in a supernatural creator. More...
posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 9:04 AM
Nepal Declared Secular, Federal Democratic Republic
Kathmandu: Nepal on Wednesday scripted a new chapter in its turbulent history as the new Constituent Assembly abolished the 240-year-old monarchy and declared the country a "secular, federal democratic republic."
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 9:02 AM
Secular Turks Attack Religious Council's Code For Women
A powerful state body regulating the role of Islam in Turkey has come under fire over an article on sexual behaviour that equated flirting with adultery and condemned women for wearing perfume.
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 8:58 AM
Group Cites Rights Violations In Gaza, West Bank
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) - The rival Palestinian governments in the West Bank and Gaza Strip are increasingly violating human rights in their territories in a quest for control, a human rights group said Tuesday.
More... See also: Hundreds of New Testaments torched in Israel
posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 8:55 AM
CIA: Killing Bin Laden Won't End Al Qaeda
(AP) The United States is making "a big and continual push" to capture or kill al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, but his demise will not end the organization's menace, CIA Director Michael Hayden said Tuesday in an Associated Press interview.
More... See also: Are terror groups pursuing the mentally disabled?
posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 8:52 AM
Female Al-Qa'eda Supporter Uses Internet As 'Bomb' To Recruit Others To Wage Jihad On West
Malika El Aroud, a 48-year-old Belgian of Moroccan origin, has been convicted in Switzerland for her part in running terror websites showing execution videos and promoting statements from al-Qa'eda linked groups.
More... See also: Al Qaeda Warrior Uses Internet to Rally Women
posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 8:48 AM
Cell Phone Bomb Kills 2 Near Philippine Air Base
MANILA, Philippines (AP) -- A homemade bomb exploded outside an air force base in the southern Philippines on Thursday, killing two people and wounding 19 others in a possible attack by al Qaeda-linked militants, police said.
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 8:44 AM
Dozens Killed In Afghan Carnage
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AFP) -- A dozen policemen and 12 civilians including three children were killed in violence Tuesday, officials said, in one of insurgency-hit Afghanistan's bloodiest days in weeks.
More... See also: Taliban turn to Iraq-style tactics to take Kabul districts Afghan prison nightmare may be coming to an end for Pervez NEW: Car Bomb Targets Troops, Kills 3 Afghans
posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 8:36 AM
Suicide Bomber Kills 16 People In Northwestern Iraq
BAGHDAD (AP) -- A suicide bomber blew himself up Thursday in a crowd of police recruits in northwestern Iraq, killing at least 16 men and wounding 14 others, an official said.
More... See also: Suicide Bomber Kills Iraqi Police Recruits Boys trained for suicide attacks Iraqi army: 6 teens trained as suicide bombers Al Sadr: Let Iraqis decide on U.S. troops Sadr Pursues Image to Match His Power Iraqis losing patience with militiamen Keeping the Sunni-Shi'a Peace U.S.-Iraqi Forces Given Ominous Warning A religion hijacked Germany's CDU Interested in Accepting Refugees from Iraq [Christians Only] Iraqis claim Marines are pushing Christianity in Fallujah
posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 8:24 AM
Saturday, May 24, 2008Where No Mars Probe Has Gone Before
When NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander sets down in the Martian arctic on Sunday, it will open a new, icy frontier for scientists back on Earth.
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 9:54 AM
Does Time Run Backward In Other Universes?
One of the most basic facts of life is that the future looks different from the past. But on a grand cosmological scale, they may look the same.
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 9:52 AM
New Statistical Method Reveals Surprises About Our Ancestry
ScienceDaily -- A statistical approach to studying genetic variation promises to shed new light on the history of human migration.
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 9:50 AM
Roadside Bomb In Iraq Injures 7 Marines
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Seven U.S. Marines were wounded by a roadside bomb that also wounded two Iraqi police officers and killed a civilian interpreter in the Anbar province city of Falluja Friday morning, according to the U.S. military.
More... See also: Imams in Iraq denounce Quran shooting Al-Sadr lawmakers denounce Iraqi government
posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 9:46 AM
Car Bomb Kills Police Officer In Peshawar
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- A Pakistani police officer died and two other were wounded when a car bomb exploded Saturday morning in Nasir Bagh, about 15 miles from Peshawar, a Peshawar police official said.
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 9:44 AM
Police Facing Action Over Teenage Protester's Arrest
A HUMAN rights group has pledged to take action against a police force which tried to prosecute a teenager for branding Scientology a "cult".
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 9:42 AM
Vatican Talks On Argentine Church-State Showdown
Buenos Aires -- An Argentine cardinal is traveling to the Vatican for consultations about a Church-state crisis in that country.
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 9:38 AM
Friday, May 23, 2008Brain's 'Trust Machinery' Identified
ScienceDaily -- The brain centers triggered by a betrayal of trust have been identified by researchers, who found they could suppress such triggering and maintain trust by administering the brain chemical oxytocin. The researchers said their findings not only offer basic insights into the neural machinery underlying trust; the results may also help in understanding the neural basis of social disorders such as phobias and autism.
More... See also: Five Things Humans No Longer Need
posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 10:58 AM
Federal Court Rules Against Military Gays Policy
The military cannot automatically discharge people because they're gay, a federal appeals court ruled in the case of a decorated flight nurse who sued the Air Force over her dismissal.
More... See also: Californians narrowly reject gay marriage Two men exchange vows in Norfolk
posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 10:55 AM
Cross Could Adorn State License Plates
COLUMBIA, SC -- The cross could soon grace a state specialty license plate.
But if the Legislature endorses the new plate, which would say "I Believe" across the bottom and carry the image of a cross in front of a stained-glass window, the state could end up in court. More...
posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 10:52 AM
Iran 'Plans To Destroy Baha'i Community'
NEW YORK (CNN) -- A top Baha'i official has criticized Iran's claim that the six imprisoned leaders of the religious minority were held for security reasons and not because of their faith.
More...
posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 10:50 AM
Powerful Iraqi Cleric Flirting With Shiite Militant Message
(AP) Iraq's most influential Shiite cleric has been quietly issuing religious edicts declaring that armed resistance against U.S.-led foreign troops is permissible -- a potentially significant shift by a key supporter of the Washington-backed government in Baghdad.
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 10:48 AM
7 Killed By Suicide Bomber In Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Seven people, including four Afghan soldiers and two children, died when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives in Afghanistan's southeastern Khost province Friday morning..
More... See also: Drive to clean up TV leaves soap fans fearing for their one respite from reality
posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 10:46 AM
Gaza Crossings Rocked By Gunbattle, Suicide Blast
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Two suicide bombers died when their explosives-laden truck detonated Thursday near a border crossing in northern Gaza, the Israeli military said.
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 10:44 AM
'Recent Convert To Islam' Is Arrested After Bomb Explosion In Restaurant
A Muslim convert with a history of mental illness who was "preyed upon and radicalised" injured himself yesterday after a device he was carrying exploded in a busy shopping centre in Exeter.
More... See also: UK police: Restaurant bomber was 'radicalized'
posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 10:40 AM
Phoenix Spacecraft On Course For May 25 Mars Landing
ScienceDaily -- With three days and 3 million miles left to fly before arriving at Mars, NASA's Phoenix spacecraft is on track for its destination in the Martian arctic.
More... See also: Mars Express Mission Controllers Ready For NASA Phoenix Landing And... Jupiter gets a brand-new Red Spot 'Telectroscope' peers across the Atlantic
posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 10:32 AM
Thursday, May 22, 2008Louisiana Bill Sneaks Religion Into Science Classes, Says Americans United
A bill approved yesterday by a Louisiana legislative panel brings religion into science classrooms and undercuts fundamental constitutional principles, according to Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 10:35 AM
Supernova Birth Seen For First Time
ScienceDaily -- Astronomers have seen the aftermath of spectacular stellar explosions known as supernovae before, but until now no one has witnessed a star dying in real time. While looking at another object in the spiral galaxy NGC 2770, using NASA's orbiting Swift telescope, Carnegie-Princeton fellows Alicia Soderberg and Edo Berger detected an extremely luminous blast of X-rays released by a supernova explosion. They alerted 8 other orbiting and on-ground telescopes to turn their eyes on this first-of-its-kind event.
More... See also: Observation Of X-rays From Birth Of Supernova Leads To All-out Effort To Record Stellar Death Cosmic Supermagnet Spreads Odd Morse Code The Mouse That Roared: Pipsqueak Star Unleashes Monster Flare Astronomers Search For Orphan Stars Using Newly Upgraded Telescope Missing Matter Of Universe Found; Cosmic Web Discovered Storm Winds Blow In Jupiter's Little Red Spot Jupiter: Turbulent Storms May Be Sign Of Global Climate Change
posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 10:29 AM
Genetically Altered Bacteria For Data Storage
ScienceDaily -- US researchers have created 'living computers' by genetically altering bacteria. The findings of the research demonstrate that computing in living cells is feasible, opening the door to a number of applications including data storage and as a tool for manipulating genes for genetic engineering.
More... See also: Diamond-Like Crystals Discovered In Brazilian Beetle Solve Issue For Future Optical Computers And... New Robot Walks Like A Human Grasshopper-Inspired Jumping Microrobot Can Make Staggering Leaps
posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 10:25 AM
Debate Over Origin Of Frogs And Salamanders Settled With Discovery Of Missing Link
ScienceDaily -- The description of an ancient amphibian that millions of years ago swam in quiet pools and caught mayflies on the surrounding land in Texas has set to rest one of the greatest current controversies in vertebrate evolution. The discovery was made by a research team led by scientists at the University of Calgary.
More... See also: First Dinosaur Tracks On Arabian Peninsula World First Discovery: Genes From Extinct Tasmanian Tiger Function In A Mouse
posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 10:22 AM
Social Workers Turned Away From FLDS Ranch
ELDORADO, Texas (CNN) -- Texas Child Protective Services workers were turned back from a polygamist sect's ranch Wednesday when they tried to investigate reports that some children remained at the compound, a lawyer for the sect said.
More...
posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 10:19 AM
Exorcists Are Summoned From Abroad To Drive The Demons Away
Hundreds of Germans, tortured by inner voices, are on the search for priests who can free them from what they believe to be the grip of the Devil, according to an extraordinary radio documentary that has stirred an awkward debate about exorcism in the Catholic Church.
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 10:16 AM
Publisher To Suspend Cartoon Sales After Muslims Say It Insults Islam
CAIRO -- A popular Japanese cartoon is sparking off outcries in the Muslim world where some fear it could fuel a backlash not seen since European papers carried cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed and a Dutch lawmaker released a controversial film earlier this year.
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 10:14 AM
3 Dead In Afghan 'Quran Shooting' Protest
(CNN) -- Two civilians and a Lithuanian soldier were killed when a protest outside a NATO base in western Afghanistan against the Quran desecration incident in Iraq turned violent on Thursday, a spokesman for the alliance's military in Kabul said.
More... See also: Taliban Make Afghan Stability a Distant Goal
posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 10:11 AM
Our Mission Is Liberation, Says Somali Islamist Leader
The senior leader of Somalia's Islamist opposition vowed yesterday to expel US-backed Ethiopian troops by force and create an Islamic republic in the war-torn country on the Horn of Africa.
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 10:08 AM
Pakistan Signs Truce With Militants
Pakistan's government on Wednesday signed a controversial peace agreement with hard-line Islamic militants in a picturesque northern valley, with the government accepting the introduction of Islamic "Shariah" law to the region and agreeing to free dozens of prisoners.
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 10:07 AM
Israel-Syria Peace Deal Could Threaten Iran, Hezbollah
ANKARA, Turkey -- Newly launched peace talks between Syria and Israel face daunting odds, but a breakthrough could bring fundamental change to the Mideast by returning the Golan Heights to Syria, cutting off support for Hezbollah forces in Lebanon, and diminishing Iran's regional influence.
More... See also: Israel and Syria's Secret Talks 'A Huge Day'
posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 10:03 AM
U.S. Airstrike Kills Iraqi Children
(CBS/AP) A U.S. helicopter strike north of Baghdad killed eight civilians, including several children, an Iraqi police official said Thursday. The U.S. military said the strike targeted al Qaeda fighters but acknowledged children died.
More... See also: Has Maliki Conquered Sadr City?
posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 10:00 AM
Wednesday, May 21, 2008Non-Religious Summer Camps Develop Niche
Caitlin, 16, and Elizabeth, 10, go to Camp Quest, which in 1996 created a niche getaway for children who are agnostic, atheist, or just not sure what to believe yet.
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 11:10 AM
16% Of US Science Teachers Are Creationists
Despite a court-ordered ban on the teaching of creationism in US schools, about one in eight high-school biology teachers still teach it as valid science, a survey reveals. And, although almost all teachers also taught evolution, those with less training in science - and especially evolutionary biology - tend to devote less class time to Darwinian principles.
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 11:07 AM
Irmo High Principal Quitting Over Gay-Straight Alliance
IRMO, SC (WIS) - The principal of Irmo High School will announce his resignation Wednesday after being asked to allow the creation of a Gay-Straight Alliance club at the school.
--snip-- "Allowing the formation of this club on our campus conflicts with my professional beliefs and religious convictions." More...
posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 11:04 AM
Boy, 12, Beheads Man In Al Qaeda Video
Amid cries of 'Allah o Akbar' (god is great), a young boy, barely 12 years old, lifts his machete and strikes at his victim who is lying on the ground, all tied up for the kill.
More... See also: Bin Laden Calls on Egyptians To Overthrow Mubarak, Lift Gaza Blockade
posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 11:00 AM
Kenyan Witchhunt Leaves 11 Burned To Death
(AP) Officials say a mob in western Kenya has burned to death 11 people suspected of being witches and wizards.
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posted by Joseph McDaniel Stewart at 10:57 AM
Spanish Catholics Rise Against State
Once they governed an empire, their crusaders and missionaries spreading the faith to newly discovered corners of the world. Today the Catholics of Spain are an angry and fearful group....
More... See also: Anti-clergy protest marks pope trip to Italian north |
