By Steve
Monday December 28, 2009
- Johnny Cash’s American VI to be released in 2010? The sixth album in the Man in Black’s American series is reportedly to be released on 23 February, in honour of what would have been his 78th birthday (Guardian)
- U2’s Bono, Damien Rice, and the Swell Season’s Glen Hansard busked for passersby turned stunned onlookers this Christmas Eve to raise money for Simon Community, a homelessness prevention charity. (TwentyFour Bits)
- Bono busks on Grafton Street for charity (U2Log)
- Egypt’s Coptic Christians battle for ID cards: In the grounds of one of the city’s oldest Christian churches, Girgis Gabriel Girgis is tattooing a baby girl. She is very young, only about three years old, and branding the blue cross onto the girl’s inside wrist brings a piercing shrill scream. But for these parents, this is a proud moment. The tattoo symbolises community and identity. Others queue patiently as Girgis wipes away the dye to reveal a tiny Coptic cross. They all shout “Allah!”, which is the Arabic for God whether you’re Christian or Muslim. There are plenty more who want to be inscribed indelibly as Coptic Christians. “The tattoo was once used to identify Christian orphans whose parents had been killed in war,” said Girgis. “So they wouldn’t be brought up as Muslims!” (BBC)
- He’s not your father’s Sherlock Holmes by Joe Morgenstern (Wall Street Journal)
- Pope returns to crowds after assault (Washington Times)
- Definin’ the blues: What were they singing about? By Terry Teachout (Wall Street Journal)
- Check out the Squirrel Nut Zippers (Seattle Times)
- The abortion distortion: Just how pro-choice is America, really? By Jennifer Senior (New York Magazine)
- Life after the end of history by Ross Douthat (NY Times)
- Crèche course: How the Nativity scene, a Christmas staple, has evolved by Liesl Schillinger (Slate)
- The face of Christmas past: Unlike our modern Santa Claus, Father Christmas was traditionally a personification of the holiday who emphasized generosity to others, thanksgiving to God, and celebration of the Savior by Anthony McRoy (Christian History)
- I am a closet Christian: At least, I was until now. Because in my circle, nothing is more embarrassing than being religious by Ada Calhoun (Salon)
- When will white people stop making movies like “Avatar”? by Annalee Newitz (i09)
- Pretty in ink: Circus ladies used their bodies of work to make a living (Madison)
- Giving the Saints marching orders: A key component of the team’s about-face is its 32-year-old executive vice president, Rita Benson LeBlanc, whose grandfather, Tom Benson, purchased the team in 1985. (Wall Street Journal)
- Challenging traditions at the heart of Judaism (NY Times)
- In Detroit, some see grounds for church planting: New evangelical congregations take root in depressed areas, but city’s deep burdens sometimes hinder mission (Wall Street Journal)
- For photographer of birds, a spotlight on beauty (NPR)
- Rome’s call: ‘Come on over’ by George F. Will (Washington Post)
- To deal with obsession, some defriend Facebook (NY Times)
- Religion finds home on iPhones, social networks (NPR)
- Having a healthy midlife crisis: As Gen-Xers enter middle age, some are rejecting the stereotypical self-indulgent crisis and embracing more positive changes. (Wall Street Journal)
- New York ranks last in happiness rating (NY Times)
- Evangelical church opens doors fully to gays (AP)
- Robert George: The conservative-Christian big thinker (NY Times)
- Burma to review Aung San Suu Kyi sentence: The Supreme Court in Burma has agreed to a request from the pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi to hear an appeal against her latest detention. (BBC)
- Jefferson’s America? From 1789 to 1815, in Gordon Wood’s telling. Review by Mark Noll (Books & Culture)
- The rabbi and Frank Lloyd Wright: To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Beth Sholom has opened its doors to the public, revealing the close relationship between the two men responsible for the synagogue’s design. (Wall Street Journal)
- In God we trust: Faith and money in America (CNN)
- Seeing the might of the box office, Hollywood is now getting religion (KC Star)
- Where piety meets power: How the Russian church and with it the Russian state are gaining ground, in several senses, in the Holy Land (Economist)
- Spirit level: Why the human race has needed religion to survive. A review of Nicholas Wade’s The Faith Instinct: How Religion Evolved and Why it Endures (Economist)
- Study: Religion repressed in third of all nations (AP)
- “Seventy-five percent of Black Gospel recordings…gone…” (Black Gospel Blog)
- The do’s and don’ts of Christmas tree decorating (Telegraph)
- Prisons and the Body of Christ: Justice and grace by Jason Byassee (Books & Culture)
- A tale of two worldviews: The dual anniversary of Dickens and Darwin by Gina Dalfonzo (BreakPoint)
- The best food books of 2009: Not a comprehensive list, more of an entrée. Which are your favourite food and drink books of this year, and of the decade? (Telegraph)
- The burden of Holmes: For Sherlock Holmes, the most important date on the calendar is Christmas—and not just because the latest film to feature him comes out on Dec. 25. (Wall Street Journal)
- The spectacular discovery no one is talking about: One month ago, NASA made one of the most important discoveries of our lifetimes: water on the moon. Why aren’t we more excited about it? By Sean Collins (Spiked)
- What my daughter taught me about compassion: Sarah understood that changing the world meant starting with our relationship by David Horowitz (Wall Street Journal)
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