New research positing that early humans ate Neanderthals has been making the rounds. Whether that actually occurred is open to debate; somewhat less disputed is that we apparently used Neanderthal teeth in our necklaces.
Below: more contemporary tooth necklaces from Marc Luscher:
A veteran of layoffs and shutdowns, reporter Jonathan Tilove went back to his old office one last time to clean out his cubicle. But then, amidst amidst the sadness, a shining beacon of hope appeared:
And there it was, on my desk, a coffee stain in the image of the Virgin Mary. I was a little surprised. Why me? I'm Jewish.
Alex Woinski wore a Jesus costume to his school for Halloween, but the school sent him home because his appearance was allegedly too much of a distraction.
Which would, I guess, make him the Prince of Disturbing the Peace.
The family explains Alex's costume choice:
[His mother, Kim] Woinski is Catholic while her husband is Jewish. Their son, who had recently celebrated his Bar Mitzvah and has been studying Bible scripture, is interested in Jesus as an historical and religious figure, according to his mother.
He wanted to translate that interest into a Halloween costume.
Alex's older brother, Jason Riggio, said due to long hair and darker skin, Alex's friends already say his brother bears a resemblance to the famous figure, which gave Alex the idea for the costume.
“We have both religions in our house, and he's learning about both. He wasn't poking fun at anybody,” said Woinski.
Via Gothamist
This ancient bowl, possibly from the first century C.E., appears to have been used for fortune telling. One suggestive clue is an inscribed reference to "the magician."
No big so far--soothsaying by reading the patterns of oil in water is a familiar ancient practice.
What has scientists and historians excited about this object is the rest of the inscription, seen above--"dia Christou"--"through Christ."
If this a reference to the Christ of the gospels, it's evidence of an admixture of Christianity and white magic dating back to the early years of the Christian church. As one scholar notes, reports of a wonder worker might have spread throughout the region and been incorporated into existing spiritual practices:
Bert Smith, a professor of classical archaeology and art at Oxford University, suggests the engraving might be a dedication, or present, made by a certain "Chrestos" belonging to a possible religious association called Ogoistais.
Klaus Hallof, director of the Institute of Greek inscriptions at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy, added that if Smith's interpretation proves valid, the word "Ogoistais" could then be connected to known religious groups that worshipped early Greek and Egyptian gods and goddesses, such as Hermes, Athena and Isis.
Hallof additionally pointed out that historians working at around, or just after, the time of the bowl, such as Strabon and Pausanias, refer to the god "Osogo" or "Ogoa," so a variation of this might be what's on the bowl. It is even possible that the bowl refers to both Jesus Christ and Osogo.
Fabre concluded, "It should be remembered that in Alexandria, paganism, Judaism and Christianity never evolved in isolation. All of these forms of religion (evolved) magical practices that seduced both the humble members of the population and the most well-off classes."
The beer can coffin reminds me of this classic from 2004--the Doctor Who-inspired TARDIS coffin designed for artist Tim Haws, a fan who died of cancer at age 43.
And according to this recent conference in the UK, having more Doctor Who references in church could be a path toward spiritual revival. From the London Telegraph, here's The Church is Ailing--Send for Dr. Who:
The number of under-16s attending Church of England services fell by almost 20 per cent between 2000 and 2006, but the Church believes that improving communication can reverse that trend.
Andrew Wooding, a spokesman for the Church Army, which organised the conference, said that its intention was to give vicars new ideas for conveying their message.
"There are countless examples of Christian symbolism in Doctor Who, which we can use to get across ideas that can otherwise be difficult to explain."
"Clergy shouldn't be afraid to engage with popular culture as for many young people television plays a large role in their thinking," he said.
From Oscar-winning Juno screenwriter Diablo Cody's blog response to the supposed scandal of (partially) nude photos from her past. You can buy a variation of this and other "Twisted Religious Shirts" at FoulMouthShirts.com
Even in the midst of the dreaded deadline doom, this story is sure to haunt me all day. Be sure to click through for the entire fascinating obituary of the last native speaker of Eyak.
The Christian abstinence movement has swayed a number of administrators in U.S. schools to establish an abstinence-only curriculum in their sex-ed classes. Two teens in Illinois have been suspended for protesting the abstinence message in their school by wearing t-shirts festooned with condoms and brandishing the message, "Safe Sex or No Sex."
Looks like my hidden agenda has been exposed. The last paragraph tells all:
An elaborate, jewel-inlaid religious icon has become the subject of a federal forfeiture suit against a convicted Reynosa drug boss.
Prosecutors allege that Carlos Landín-Martinez — a 52-year-old former Tamaulipas police officer turned second-in-command of Gulf Cartel operations in Reynosa — purchased the gold jewelry with proceeds from drug smuggling operations within the United States.
Landín-Martinez was wearing the piece when agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration arrested him at a local H-E-B in July.
In the form of a pendant, it features the image of Saint Jude, the patron saint of lost causes, inlaid with 128 diamonds, 36 emeralds and one ruby, according to an affidavit filed in the case. It is appraised at a value of more than $12,000.
“Persons who engage in large-scale drug trafficking tend to wear expensive gold jewelry as visible proof that they have been successful,” DEA agent Jaime A. Fernandez said in the document. They wear it “as evidence that they are criminals of consequence.”
Although the righteous folks at Miss Toronto Tourism believe that tarot card reading is too "dark arts" for beauty pageants, the Barbie Tarot reveals that it may be a perfect fit.
