RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTSBy Ernest Disney-BrittonLord Buddha said, "We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world" (Dhammapada). A prophet of Islam, Jesus of Nazareth taught that what is in a person’s heart inevitably comes out of his mouth (Luke 6:45). This week the hearts of men, and women too, flowed like water from a well revealing hearts of fear and hate. When you saw the anti-Islamic film,...

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Anti-Muslim Subway Ads Enjoy the Freedom to Offend

THE NEW REPUBLICBy Amy SullivanNEW YORK---Yes, at the same time that Obama was counseling world leaders to embrace tolerance, professional Islamophobe Pamela Geller and her American Freedom Defense Initiative launched an anti-Muslim ad campaign in New York subways. The large wall ads, which are posted in at least ten subway stations, read: “In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel. Defeat Jihad.”...

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Edward Blum: Fighting Over God's Image

THE NEW YORK TIMESBy Edward Blum and Paul HarveyDrawing by Mark PerniceThe murders of four Americans over an amateurish online video about Muhammad, like the attempted murder of a Danish cartoonist who in 2005 had depicted the prophet with a bomb in his turban, have left many Americans confused, angry and fearful about the rage that some Muslims feel about visual representations of their sacred figures. The confusion stems, in part, from the ubiquity...

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‘Morality Coalition’ Slams Pussy Riot's Prize Nomination

RIA NOVOSTIRUSSIA---A Russian Morality Coalition on Wednesday protested the European Parliament’s decision to nominate three jailed members of the punk group Pussy Riot for the Andrei Sakharov human rights award. “We would like to note that the Pussy Riot members received two-year prison sentences not over freedom-of-thought issues but for attempting to organize a provocation in the Christ the Savior Cathedral that offended believers,” the hitherto-unknown...

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Prof. Andrew March: "What’s Wrong With Blasphemy?"

THE NEW YORK TIMESBy Andrew March (Opinionator)Suppose there had not been a single riot in response to the now infamous video “The Innocence of Muslims,” Not a single car burned, not a single embassy breached, not a single human being physically hurt. Would the makers of this risible little clip have done anything wrong? If so, to whom, and why? These questions are now at the center of an international debate....I think there is something for philosophy to encourage us to think about beyond the recycled clichés that emerge on all sides each time...

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Russian Govt Considers Law to Jail Those Who Blaspheme

RT | NEWSRUSSIA---The Russian State Duma has received a bill to protect religious believers’ feelings that introduces a punishment of up to 5 years in prison. The bill was prepared jointly by all the parliamentary parties and presented by MP Yaroslav Nilov of the opposition Liberal Democratic Party. Nilov, who is also the head of the parliamentary committee for public organizations and religious unions, presented a special address to the Lower House on the subject which was almost unanimously approved by all four State Duma factions. If the new...

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Iran Pulls Movie From Oscars Race Over US Anti-Islam Film

AHRAM ONLINEIRAN---Iran announced on Monday it was yanking its entry in the Oscars race because of the "intolerable insult" of the US-made anti-Islam film that has angered Muslims in several countries. Oscars organizers in Los Angeles said they had not heard officially from Iranian authorities, after the announcement in Tehran by Culture Minister Mohammad Hosseini. "I am officially announcing that in reaction to the intolerable insult to the Great Prophet of Islam we will refrain from taking part in this year's Oscars and we ask other Islamic nations...

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Rabbi Rick Jacobs: The Sin of Sowing Hatred of Islam

THE NEW YORK TIMESBy Rabbi Rick Jacobs, Op-EdTwo weeks ago, on the morning of Sept. 11, I noticed a woman wearing a traditional Muslim head covering on the packed platform of the train station in Scarsdale, N.Y. Her attention was focused on a billboard ad that announced “19,250 deadly Islamic attacks since 9/11/01” and pre-empted those who might dispute that claim with the refrain: “It’s not Islamophobia, it’s Islamorealism.” I could only imagine what she was feeling. Yes, these ads are lawful. But they are wrong and repugnant. What other purpose...

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Priest Embroiled in Ivory Smuggling Controversey

CNNBy Madison ParkPHILIPPINES---A priest known for his collection of religious art is under investigation for possible involvement in the illegal ivory trade, according to a Philippine law enforcement agency. Monsignor Cristobal Garcia was quoted in the October issue of National Geographic directing a reporter to ivory carvers and traders, and also dispensing advice on how to smuggle the banned item into the United States. Garcia was known as "one of the best known ivory collectors in the Philippines," according to National Geographic. Elephants,...

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Baby Jesus Blows up in a Blaze of Glory

WND By Marisa MartinLast weekend 32,000 eyewitnesses in Barcelona watched their beloved Basilica Sagrada Familia melt before their eyes. Fortunately, a succession of reality-shaking resurrections immediately followed this apparent catastrophe, shared by video with millions across the globe. Who are the magicians who could plot and perform such a colossal trompe l’oie? The honors fall at the feet of Canadian artists and technical wizards who...

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Groundbreaking Art Show at Jewish Museum is "Be-Jeweled"

CHICAGO TRIBUNEBy Lance Esplund, BloombergThe Spanish "Kennicott Bible" (1476), a Hebrew Bible written in Spain is featured in exhibit. ILLINOIS---The Jewish Museum's "Crossing Borders: Manuscripts From the Bodleian Libraries" is a rich, jewel-box exhibition. More than 60 works have come to New York from the University of Oxford's superb collection. Spanning the 3rd through the 18th centuries and covering subjects secular and religious,...

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Buddhist Statue Acquired by Nazis is a Space Rock

NEW SCIENTISTBy Colin BarrasOne religious statue has a stronger connection than most to the heavens. An 11th-century carving from Mongolia of the Buddhist god Vaiśravana was fashioned from a meteorite fragment, a chemical analysis shows. Its extraterrestrial origins make it unique in both religious art and meteorite science. It was apparently brought to Germany in 1939 by a Nazi-backed archaeological expedition to search for the roots of Aryanism....

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Giant Electronic Circuits Make Wonderfully Geeky Art

GIZMODO By Jamie CondliffeMost self-respecting geeks find a certain charm in art with order, symmetry and simplicity. If that's the case for you, then you won't be able to help but fall in love with Leonardo Ulian's beautiful geometric patterns made up of electronic components. Pictured above is his Electronic mandala [02]—which gives a nod to the mandala art form found in Hindu and Buddhist religious traditions. Its beauty lies in its simplicity,...

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Tim Tebow Offered Lifetime Membership From Museum of Sex

THE CHRISTIAN POSTBy Christine ThomasosNEW YORK---Tim Tebow, 25-year-old Christian special teams player on the New York Jets, has admitted that he is a virgin but the Museum of Sex in New York City still decided to grant him a lifetime membership. [li...

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Bob Jones University Museum Announces Purchase of Ivory Dyptch

ALPHA OMEGA ARTSBy TahlibSOUTH CAROLINA---The Bob Jones University Museum & Gallery (M&G) has purchased a 14th century French Carved Ivory diptych panel called, The Trinity. According to museum officials, it is the first significant art purchase since 1997. The purchase was made in 2011, well before the recent reports by National Geographic Magazine that religious groups are responsible for the unsustainable poaching of elephants for the creation of ivory religious relics, such as this dyptych. Already recognized for...

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Inspiring Me! Life of Pi’s New Trailer (VIDEO)

FIRST POST With each trailer, Ang Lee’s epic adventure film "Life of Pi" is raising expectations. The second trailer of the film is out, just before its premiere at New York Film Festival on Friday, and the film promises to be a visual treat. Judging by this new trailer, the film raises hopes of it living up to the popular Man Booker prize winning book by Yann Martel. The movie releases on November 23, 2012 in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. [li...

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Arts Council in Wisconsin to Fundraise Using Power2Give (Crowdfunding)

VOLUME ONEBy Mike PaulusWISCONSIN---The Eau Claire Regional Arts Center will soon be hosting an online crowd-sourced funding platform (catch all that?) for local art projects, connecting donors to projects they are passionate about. According to ECRAC's Executive Director Ben Richgruber, "the site allows cultural organizations to post and promote projects in need of funding and invites donors to contribute directly to the projects that are most intriguing."...

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Showcase of Arab, Israeli, Iranian Women at Rutgers & Princeton

NEW JERSEY JEWISH NEWSBy Debra Rubin, NJJN Bureau Chief/MiddlesexNEW JERSEY---In an area too often known for its endless conflicts, Middle Eastern female artists and performers have found a means to express their feelings about their culture, violence, and gender roles. More than 100 works by these women will be on display at venues in Princeton and New Brunswick through Jan. 13 as part of a half-year-long program sponsored jointly by Rutgers...

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Religious Ivory Demand Killing Elephants by Thousands, Report Says

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC NEWSBy Oliver PayneThe home of a Filipino collector is lavish with ivory religious icons.WASHINGTON---While it's impossible to say exactly how many elephants are slaughtered annually, a conservative estimate for 2011 is more than 25,000. And thousands of those are dying to satisfy religious devotion, their tusks smuggled into countries to be carved into religious artifacts: ivory baby Jesuses and saints for Catholics in the Philippines,...

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"Piss Christ" Photograph Comes To New York, Angering Pols

GOTHAMIST"Piss Christ" by Andres SerranoNEW YORK---Controversial representation of religious figures and objects has been inciting all the rage these days, and New York-born artist Andres Serrano's work "Piss Christ," which will be on view as part of an exhibition of the artist's work in Midtown..[today], is no exception. The piece—a photograph of a crucifix soaked in the artist's urine—was condemned by Staten Island Representative Michael Grimm...

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"It Was Totally Bootstrap": Art Entrepreneur Jen Bekman Looks Back on 5 Years of 20x200

BLOUIN | ARTINFO By Rachel CorbetOn Monday, the VIP Art Fair announced that it was abandoning its twice-a-year fair model and joining fellow e-retailers Paddle8, Art.sy, and Artspace to sell artwork online full-time. But before this ever-expanding influx of net-art startups, there was 20x200, New York dealer Jen Bekman’s pioneering print project that’s celebrating its fifth anniversary this week. In 2007, Bekman launched her site for affordable art prints — the online market’s most successful medium — with two friends in her living room....

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Priest Marries Gay Partner on Alaskan Cruise (Canadian Waters)

ALPHA OMEGA ARTSBy Charles GoetzCharles Goetz, Contributing Editor of A&O News marries longtime companion BlanchardCANADA---Blanchard and I made it official Sept. 5 aboard Celebrity's Infinity during an Alaska cruise. Found the perfect rings in Ketchikan: "Lovebirds," an eagle and a raven intertwined, symbolizing marriage between Haida (eagle) and Tlingit (raven) clansmembers, designed by Tlingit artisan Amos Wallace. Blanchard is convinced...

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Can Dance Transform the Soul? Support "O'Black Madonna"

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By TahlibMaureen Fleming, American dance-artist, but born in Japan, is the Artistic Director of Maureen Fleming Company. The goal of her work is, "To reveal the transcendent through images, which focus on the human body as a vehicle of transformation. I am specifically interested in discovering a universal art which touches the evolutionary traces imbedded in human experience and transcends the limits of nationality and gender,...

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Holyday Art for "Yom Kippur" by Ken Goldman

ALPHA OMEGA ARTSBy Tahlib"Yom Kippur Mat" by Ken Goldman. Image courtesy of Jewish Art SalonIt's the holiest of holydays in the Jewish calendar. They call it "Yom Kippur" observed around the world with honor by Jews, as well as Christians, and other respectful believers too.Official name: Hebrew: יוֹם כִּפּוּר or יום הכיפוריםSignificance: According to Jewish tradition, God inscribes each person's fate for the coming year into a book, the Book...

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Sikh Artifacts, Tipu Art on UK Auction Block

HINDUSTAN TIMESBy Sanjib Kr BaruahIndia and the Punjab – oil painting by Punjabi artist G S Bansal of a Kashmiri GirlINDIA---Even as the government sits on declaring a much-awaited policy on acquisition of items of historical value, another auction of items relating to India's heritage is being conducted by London-based auctioneer Mullock's. Among the scores of paintings, artefacts and documents relating to Indian heritage, to be offered...

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Roger Ebert's Less Than Glowing Review: "The Master" (2.5 Stars)

ROGER EBERTBy Roger EbertPaul Thomas Anderson's "The Master" is fabulously well-acted and crafted, but when I reach for it, my hand closes on air. It has rich material and isn't clear what it thinks about it. It has two performances of Oscar caliber, but do they connect? Its title character is transparently inspired by L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, but it sidesteps any firm vision of the cult religion itself — or what it grew into....

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Islamic Cartoon Row, Flying Carpet Hang Over Louvre

BUSINESS WEEKBy Jorg von UthmannThe Louvre's Cour Visconti has a glass roof over the new Islamic wing. FRANCE---Amid the furor over an anti-Islam video and new cartoons mocking the Prophet, the Louvre is opening a new wing devoted to Islamic Art. When New York’s Metropolitan Museum reopened its Islamic wing last November, after eight years of renovation, it had been rebaptized as “Galleries for the Art of the Arab Lands, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia...

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Controversy Misses the Mark in Blake Prize for Religious Art

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALDBy Andrew Taylor"Meat" (2011) by Saif al Murayati AUSTRALIA---Saif al Murayati's unfolding history promises controversy when the misspelt words "Assang (sic)", "wikki (sic)" and "Merdoch (sic)" flash on to a screen beside a battered road sign of a man shovelling dirt. To the soundtrack of Islamic chants, words like uprising and prison appear between words written in Arabic. But the four-minute video work is not a rant...

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The War Against Freedom of Speech

YUCATAN TIMESBy Nubia Nieto"Christ Destroying His Cross" (1943) by José Clemente OrozcoThe violent protests in the Muslim world over an anti-Islam film made in the USA, reveal not only that the freedom of speech is far away from being reached in the Middle East, but also shows how dangerous it is to install this freedom of speech in some countries. In Latin America, the freedom of speech seems to be also an important challenge and social aspiration....

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Fall Exhibtion at Texas' Blanton Museum Explores Tibetan Buddhism

UNIVERSITY OF TEXASTibetan, "Padmasambhava," 18th-19th century Colors on cotton, 53 x 38 in., University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, Bequest of G. Eleanore MurrayTEXAS---In a presentation exclusive to the Blanton, eight rare and never-before publicly exhibited Tibetan works from the University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAM/PFA) are on view. "Into the Sacred City" explores the rich...

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Elderly Woman Who Botched Religious Fresco Demands Royalties

THE TELEGRAPHBy Fiona GovanEcce Homo by 19th-century painter Elías García Martínez on the walls of the church of Santuario de Misericordia. Photo: gawker.comSPAIN---The elderly Spanish woman who ruined a religious fresco with her botched restoration is now demanding royalties from her work after it became an unlikely tourist attraction. Cecilia Gimenez, who is in her 80s, made headlines across the world after attempting a DIY restoration that left...

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Rising Tide of Restrictions on Religion

PEW FORUMA rising tide of restrictions on religion spread across the world between mid-2009 and mid-2010, according to a new study by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life. Restrictions on religion rose in each of the five major regions of the world – including in the Americas and sub-Saharan Africa, the two regions where overall restrictions previously had been declining. Restrictions on religion rose not only in countries...

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Pakistani Minister Offers $100,000 Bounty For Killing Anti-Islam Film Maker

FIRST POSTPAKISTAN---A Pakistani minister offered $100,000 on Saturday to anyone who kills the maker of an online video which insults Islam, as sporadic protests rumbled on across parts of the Muslim world. “I announce today that this blasphemer, this sinner who has spoken nonsense about the holy Prophet, anyone who murders him, I will reward him with $100,000,” Railways Minister Ghulam Ahmad Bilour told a news conference, to applause. “I invite the Taliban brothers and the al Qaeda brothers to join me in this blessed mission.” [li...

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Exploiting the Prophet: We Are Pawns in a Politcal (Not Religious) Battle

THE NEW YORK TIMESBy Nicholas Kristoff, Sunday Times“PISS CHRIST,” a famous photograph partly financed by taxpayers, depicted a crucifix immersed in what the artist said was his own urine. But conservative Christians did not riot on the Washington Mall. “The Book of Mormon,” a huge hit on Broadway, mocks the church’s beliefs as hocus-pocus. But Mormons haven’t burned down any theaters. So why do parts of the Islamic world erupt in violence over insults to the Prophet Muhammad? I think a few things are going on. The first is that many Muslim countries...

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Arts Council + Church Desire = Spiritual Artwork Show

PHILLY BURBSBy Jeannie O'SullivanNEW JERSEY---The creative expression of spirituality is the theme of an exhibit being hosted by St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church. Through Oct. 7, the public is invited to view the 45 pieces of religious artwork displayed in the parish hall. The selection features digital photographs, watercolors, oils, sketches, acrylics and pastel drawings submitted by 20 artists from the region. The church worked in cooperation with the Burlington County Arts Guild to plan the juried exhibit, which is in its fourth year. “It’s an...

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Wait, You Still Don't Like Us?

FOREIGN POLICYBy Richard WikeIn some ways, the issue of anti-Americanism is part of a broader story about mutual distrust between Muslims and Westerners. Why hasn't America's image improved? The opposition to drone strikes points to a broader issue: a widespread distrust of American power. But it is true even for elements of American soft power. Predominantly Muslim nations are generally among the least likely to embrace U.S. popular culture...

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The Art and History of the Marfo-Mariinskaya Convent

THE MOSCOW TIMES By John FreedmanMikhail Nesterov's triptych of The Annunciation.RUSSIA---The Marfo-Mariinskaya Convent is one of Moscow's spiritual, architectural and cultural gems, although I must say I rarely see it on must-do lists for visitors. The church at the center of the convent, as well as all the outlying buildings, were designed by one of Moscow's greatest and, perhaps, most enigmatic architects Alexei Shchusev in the early 20th...

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Zen Buddhism, Art Subject of McClung Museum Exhibit

KNOXVILLE NEWS SENTINELThis painting on a hanging silk scroll was done of an unidentified Obaku monk.Such portraits hung in the halls of monasteries. This one is from the 18th or 19th century.TENNESSEE---An exhibit open[ed] Sept. 15 at the University of Tennessee's Frank H. McClung Museum explores both the simple yet elegant beauty and the deeper meanings of art developed around Zen Buddhism. "Zen Buddhism and the Arts of Japan" is at the museum,...

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1 Day Left! Banksy "Fallen Angel" For Sale, For Your Home

BLOUIN | ARTINFOBy Benjamin SuttonAUSTRALIA---This deal is as ephemeral as a real Banksy mural: For the next four days LivingSocial is offering 75 percent off the price of wall decals for domestic use that are based on the British street artist’s most famous works. The bedroom Banksys — which include his “Heart Balloon Girl,” “Monkey in Charge” (below), “Rapper Rat,” and “Fallen Angel” (above), and nine others — retail at $99.99 on Zanzino. [li...

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RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTSBy Ernest Disney-BrittonDo you remember the old Heinz Ketchup commercial that played the song "Anticipation?" The point of that commercial is that the best things in life are worth waiting for. Well, between the wait for the new iPhone 5; the Midwest debut of "The Master"; unveiling of the new Islamic art wing at The Lourve in Paris; arrival of the Wiccan holyday Mabon (autumnal equinox); opening...

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The Louvre’s New Islamic Galleries Bring Riches to Light

THE NEW YORK TIMESBy Carol VogelThe new space consists of ground- and lower-ground-level interiors topped by a golden, undulating roofFRANCE---The Louvre’s new Islamic galleries bring riches to light. Ten years in the making, the $125 million project, which opens on Saturday, has been financed in part by the French government, along with Prince Alwaleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia, who gave the Louvre $20 million toward the galleries, the largest single...

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Dokoupil's Quote-Unquote "Religious Paintings"

THE PRAQUE POST By Mimi Fronczak RogersBy Jiří Georg Dokoupil CZECH REPUBLIC---In a deconsecrated Church of St. Roch on the grounds of the Strahov Monastery, Jiří Georg Dokoupil is exhibiting a group of new works of Jesus and Mary, heaven and hell. While the paintings ostensibly rekindle an evergreen theme of European art, Dokoupil's depictions of Jesus and the Virgin Mary at Galerie Miro are not intended as devotional icons but rather as universal...

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Barsch code: Springville MOA Presents Retrospective of Artist

HERALD EXTRABy Kari Kenner "Gate to Paradise," by Wulf Barsch UTAH---Colors, light and figures are brought together in visual harmony at the Springville Museum of Art exhibit "Ex Corde Lux -- A Retrospective of Wulf Barsch," on display now in the main gallery. Barsch is an internationally recognized artist who was born in Bohemia, now the Czech Republic, in 1943. After joining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1968, Barsch made...

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Grand Rapid's Fountain Street Church Awards Cash Prizes During ArtPrize Festival

THE GRAND RAPIDS POSTBy Jeffrey Kaczmarczyk“Searching for the Key” (Letters Home) an assemblage by Susan Clinthorne and Sally Thielen explores the subject of homelessness.MICHIGAN---Art with a conscience and a message is the theme for the ArtPrize 2012 exhibition at Fountain Street Church. [Twenty-seven] 27 artists created work based on the theme “Art to Change the World: Confronting Oppression, Embracing the Human Spirit.” Together with the American...

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5 Faiths Friday: Looking For Divine Balance

ALPHA OMEGA ARTSBy TahlibDo you see interfaith links in today's religious art? It's easy to see, but only if you looking deeper than the surface. In honor of the Pagan holyday of "Mabon", The Witch's Sabbat or The Autumn Equinox, I'm highlighting some unique ways of looking at the equality of the interfaith experience thought art. Take a look at the images I've found this week, and consider that today on Mabon, all things are in divine...

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Christian Extremists Block Pussy Riot Art Show

THE HUFFINGTON POSTVisitors taking pictures of painting by Yevegenia MaltsevaRUSSIA---A protest by about 15 Russian Orthodox Christian activists has disrupted the opening of a Moscow art exhibit inspired by the jailed members of the punk band Pussy Riot. The activists, some dressed in Cossack uniforms, tried to block the entrance to the Gelman Gallery. Riot police dispersed the protesters, detaining nine of them, but then blocked off the area, making...

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New Master: Kickstarter Helped NYC Artist Paint a Replica of Sistine Chapel Ceiling in His Apartment

GOOD | CULTUREBy Alex Gardega One day this past January I decided to paint the Sistine Chapel on the ceiling of my rented Upper East Side studio apartment. I do a lot of professional high-end murals. I just painted a 400 square foot waterfall for a client and recently finished three ceilings for different people. I’m always working for someone else so I started thinking that I’d like to do this for myself. Even though it’s not my apartment, I just...

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Technology Replicates Ancient Chinese Temple at NYU Exhibtion

EPOCH TIMESBy Amelia PangA seated Buddha with an elaborate halo embellished with floral and vegetal motifs.NEW YORK---Walking into dimly lit rooms filled with sixth-century Buddha statues, one enters an art exhibit at NYU. The serene ambience has a close likeness to that of the famed Chinese Xiangtangshan temple—mostly because the exhibit has digital reconstructions of the artwork’s original settings. The exhibition, “Echoes of the Past: The Buddhist...

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Paris' Louvre Museum Unveils "Islamic Art Wing

ASSOCIATED PRESSImage of new wing courtesy of PressTVFRANCE---The Louvre Museum is unveiling a new wing and galleries dedicated to the arts of Islam, culminating a nearly €100 million ($130 million), decade-long project coming to fruition amid tensions between the Muslim world and the West. The new dragonfly-shaped building marks the famed Paris museum's greatest development since its iconic glass pyramid constructed 20 years ago. The Department...

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New French Cartoons Inflame Prophet Film Tension

ASSOCIATED PRESS  FRANCE---A French satirical magazine published nude photos of the Prophet Muchammad today, a move that could further inflame tensions after violent protests in the muslim world over an anti-Islamic film. [link]VINIE...

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Building the Jalil Khayat Mosque (c. Iraq 2007)

ISLAMIC ART & ARCHITECTUREBy F.A. BhattiIRAQ---The Jalil Khayat mosque, which resembles in style the Muhammad Ali mosque in Cairo and the Blue mosque in Istanbul, was inaugurated in Erbil on January 19, 2007. Erbil is the Capital City of the Kurdish Regional Government in Iraq. The mosque is built on an area of 15,000 square meters in the center of Erbil. It contains a large prayer hall that is 1,200 meters square and 45 meters high; it holds...

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Iranian Foundation Offers $3.3 Million Bounty for Killing of Author Salman Rushdie

RT | RUSSIA TIMES IRAN---A religious foundation in Iran added another $500,000 to a $2.8 million reward for anyone who kills British-Indian author Salman Rushdie. Rushdie’s 1988 novel 'The Satanic Verses' published enraged the Muslim world, and prompted a death sentence fatwa by Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Anyone who successfully kills Rushdie will receive a $3.3 million reward from Iran’s 15 Khordad Foundation, local newspapers reported. The initial reward totaled $1 million, and has been increased several times...

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Vatican Helps Launch Church-Approved Ads for Catholic Websites

RELIGION NEWS SERVICEVATICAN CITY---An Italian startup is launching a web advertising platform that aims to provide Catholic websites with Catholic-approved advertisements. The platform, called AdEthic, will be presented on Thursday (Sept. 20) at a press conference in Rome, as part of a wider Catholic project to engage in social media. According to Andrea Salvati, a manager at Google Italy who will take the role of CEO at AdEthic in October,...

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Artist-Magician Unveils Sculpture That is Both a Star of David and a Christian Cross

BLOUIN | ARTINFOBy Benjamin SuttonMagical sculpture by Francis TabaryThe French artist and 1991 world magic champion (!) Francis Tabary has crafted a magical sculpture that simultaneously forms the icons of the Jewish and Christian faiths: the Star of David and the cross. The untitled artwork — which uses a mirror to show the metal cross from an angle at which it forms a perfect six-pointed star — is the latest in the artist’s “Impossible Sculptures”...

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