And as the New York Times reports, members of the Muslim community in Queens object with such vehemence that the father goes to the police.

io9 reports on the burgeoning genre of Christian scifi romance. The possibilities are endless--"The Star My Destination"; "The Moon is a Submissive Mrs."; "So Long, and Thanks for the Jesus Fish."

Sure they're groaners, but Christian titles are basically porno puns with Jesus. Down these clean streets a man must go . . .

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."

Sex and spirit come together in Tantra Chocolate, one of several erotic food products mentioned in this list from Em & Lo--another way that people transform natural desires into something more.

Biting social satire in Glamour from Asma Hasan:

In honor of today's Muslim holiday, Eid al Fitr (Eid Mubarik to you all!), I wanted to welcome the newest member of the conservative Muslim faith: VP candidate Sarah Palin.

It may sound unlikely, but Ms. Hasan does offer some interesting evidence . . .

Design cultures collide in this stunning religious-themed Sarah Palin protest in Alaska.

The Empire State Building is going green tonight to commemorate the Eid festival that marks the end of Ramadan.

Y'know, if I were a rabble-rousing talk radio host, I could dine out on this for the rest of the week!

Wilson Bryan Key argued that advertisers embed skulls and other imagery of death in marketing because images of death grab our attention.

If he had stopped writing books on subliminal ads and gone into marketing skull designs, he would not be a footnote in ad criticism history. He'd be one of the wealthiest people on Earth.

Via Skull-A-Day.

Crooked Politicians, originally uploaded by xrodgers.

"Don't trust politicians."--Psalm 146:3.

Image: Crooked politicians in the Virgin de Carmen parade, Peru.

This issue of Gospel Today has been pulled from the shelves at Lifeway Christian Bookstores.

Not because of what the women are wearing, but because of what they do.

They're pastors.

Gospel Today, the Fayetteville-published magazine, was pulled off the racks by the bookstores’ owner, the Southern Baptist Convention. The problem? The five smiling women on the cover are women of the cloth — church pastors.

Southern Baptist polity says that’s a role reserved for men.

So much for breaking the glass ceiling.

Pasties meet political satire in this devilish performance at Oakland's Uptown Hubba Hubba. More about Lady Satan at her MySpace--including, of course, charitable benefits!

From this collection of pics taken at the New York Burlesque Festival. The transformation of burlesque into alt-art reflects how time change perception of once popular media.

From Hijab Style, which is taking a break until after Eid:

This photo is of an Iranian actress, and it looks like she has a black turban or bonnet cap on, pinned or tucked into a turtle neck, with the hat on top. What I first thought when I saw this, was how suitable it would be for Muslimahs who live in areas where it's dangerous (or downright illegal) to wear hijab.