June 2007 Archives

Applied theology transforms abstractions into action.  Earlier this week, the all-seeing Angela Gunn (of Techspace fame) transformed our offhand observation about the spiritual mission of the Harry Potter hacker into invaluable practical advice for IT professionals.  As Ms. G observes, money is not the only motive behind malicious hacks--

It's one more thing to keep in mind for anyone engaged in risk analysis -- what's worth not just filthy lucre to your enterprise's potential attackers, but worth something they might hold in even higher regard?

Excellent point, and one that further illustrates the importance of a broad-based religious literacy even for professionals who may not be religious themselves.  To keep current with all forms of security attacks (religious and otherwise), be sure to check out the blog and archive at zone-h.  (Hint to humanities & sociology grad students:  buzz-building dissertations lurk in zone-h for those who have eyes to see). 

Of course, not every religious hacker sets out to engage in illegal or destructive acts.  Check out, for example, the Christian Hackers Association and Gervase Markham's blog, Hacking for Christ.

(And while you're at it, be sure to click through the latest post in AG's ongoing reality check on the "Jesus phone."  To which I say sure, it's overkill, but maybe there's an underlying truth--after all, isn't there a spiritual resonance between His preference for using the weak and foolish things of the world to confound the wise and Apple's decision to use AT&T wireless?)

The irony of this video, of course, is that capitalism has incorporated the pre-modern religion of santeria to sell . . .

Ahhhhh forget it.  Capitalism gives rise to Rogue Traders; Communism, the Red Army Choir.  Remember that the next time you're reading Habermas!

Religious jewelry is trendy--thus saith the Chicago Tribune.  And it wouldn't be an article about fashion & religion without someone calling attention to how commodification inevitably gives rise to a degraded mass culture:

"The irony of people wearing fashionable religious jewelry is it's become a commodity and it represents the commoditization of religion," [Professor] Gunn says. "Is it just a coincidence that we have the rise of the mega-mall church and the commoditization of religious symbols as a token of one's mystery or depth? I don't think that's a coincidence. I think it's a part of the way capitalism has seeped into every aspect of our lives."

This observation raises a key issue:  do we really need professors if the best they can do is offer cheap and easy cultural critiques?  Personally, I'd be a bit disappointed if I dropped 30K a year for a religion degree only to find a sexed-up version of the Charlie Brown Christmas Special. 

The pentagram is the bane of many a Christian spotting symbols in pop culture, which is no doubt one reason some believers have co-opted the heartagram, a trademarked symbol of Finnish metal band HIM.  The heartagram represents HIM's signature brand of "love metal", represented by the incorporating a heart into a pentagram. 

Here's a picture of a Christian teen blissed out with a heartagram at a church youth group concern--one of several excellent pics in a Rolling Stone photo essay on Christian rock.  But is HIM really a reference to Jesus?  Satan-fearing fundamentalists would no doubt be shocked to learn that HIM sings about witches and "stigmata diaboli"  To top it off, the band's name originally stood for "His Infernal Majesty."  

But that's OK--should they be exposed to actual HIM recordings, kids who want to stay spiritually pure can simply put on these nifty heartagram ear plugs!

From Overheard in New York:

Older woman: Excuse me, miss?
Younger woman: Yeah?
Older woman: Your veil, your burqa is very beautiful. I didn't know your people were allowed to wear it in bright colors.
Younger woman: It's not a burqa, it's a poncho. I'm Jewish. It's for the rain. I got it at TJ Maxx.

Ouija Board Necklace, originally uploaded by Hellcat Designs.

Years ago I had a Ouija board. When I silently asked it what I was going to be when I grew up, it answered, "Mailman."

Points for coherence, but not accuracy.

Anyway, this necklace is a nice illustration of the repurposing of an old spiritual communications medium into a more aesthetic extension of the self.

what?!, originally uploaded by *kita.

Why is Jesus on an anchor? Here's one Christian's explanation of the anchor symbol.

Wire services report this morning that a hacker named "Gabriel" claims to have obtained access to drafts of the upcoming Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows.  The news articles don't reveal the spoilers or a link to the post, but if you're interested it's here--Full Disclosure: Harry Potter 0Day.

How does this pertain to the BofG?

What news reports don't tend to relate is that the hacker claims to have a religious motive.  Can spiritual adornment transform hacking into an act of faith?  You decide--and so you don't have to read the alleged spoilers should you want to remain pure, here's how Gabriel the arch-angel (in Greek, literally, angelos = "messenger") justifies his hack:

Yes, we did it.
We did it by following the precious words of the great Pope Benedict XVI when he still was Cardinal Josepth Ratzinger.
He explained why Harry Potter bring the youngs of our earth to Neo Paganism faith.

So we make this spoiler to make reading of the upcoming book useless and boring.

The attack strategy was the easiest one.
The usual milw0rm downloaded exploit delivered by email/click-on-the-link/open-browser/click-on-this-animated-icon/back-connect to some employee of Bloomsbury Publishing, the company that's behind the Harry crap.

It's amazing to see how much people inside the company have copies and drafts of this book.
Curiosity killed the cat.

Who kill curiosity?

 

To protect you and your families

God bless you

Gabriel

Free spot - Fight terrorism: http://www.challenging-islam.org/articles/warraq-debate-muslims.htm

 

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A blast from the past--a tabloid account of Bill Clinton's secret Hindu agenda:

If you were wondering what former president Bill Clinton was wearing on his right wrist when he was hawking his new book on '60 Minutes' and Oprah recently, it's a Hindu nada-chhadi (often called an auspicious thread).

All male members of the Hindu community who have passed through the religious ceremony of Bratabandha are supposed to change the sacred thread – Janai.  "Janai is a sacred cotton thread worn, and it is believed that the thread will protect them from evil spirit," said Hari Ram Joshi,a cultural expert. "And it is necessary that the thread must be purified by chanting mantras," he added.

Israel's decision to promote tourism through pictures of bikini-clad army women has met with heated protests.  The controversy, of course, called far more attention to the campaign than if opponents had stayed silent, but then again, without it we might not have had such headlines as "Babes in Oy Land" and "Piece in the Middle East." 

Unfortunately I have little to add, since I never did receive that invite to tonight's party hosted by Maxim and the Israeli Consulate (!).  Instead I was left sitting here . . .

waiting for Gadot.

The desire to transcend natural determinism is a basic human impulse.  Claude Levi-Strauss, in his classic study Structural Anthropology, describes how the Caduveo of Brazil expressed this fundamental sense of dualism through elaborate tattoos and other cultural practices.   For more on Levi-Strauss, Caduvean art and the nature of nature itself, check out this illuminating meditation from yesterday's New York Times.

Matir Asurot is an organization trying to help women whose husbands will not give them a get, a divorce certificate required under Jewish law.  To call attention to their plight, Magnolia Jewelry--which has stores in New York, London, Poland and Australia--is selling a bracelet whose proceeds will benefit the cause.  Here's more from the Jerusalem Post, which also has news of a related wedding dress display:

SOCIO-RELIGIOUS issues require good marketing no less than economic services or consumer products. More and more women's organizations are being formed and are joining forces with existing organizations to raise public awareness of the plight of agunot - women who are anchored or chained in marriages from which they wish to be released, but are unable to be liberated because their husbands refuse to give them a get , or Jewish bill of divorce. Without it, these women cannot remarry or have children. To support the efforts of Asurot (Forbidden), a coalition of women's organizations working towards freeing women from marital bondage, the Magnolia Jewelry chain has produced a special silver bracelet with a Swarovski crystal as a form of identification with the struggle of the agunot. All proceeds from sales of this bracelet will go to Asurot. It is hoped that the bracelet which, though such a feminine piece of jewelry also symbolizes pain and slavery, will also become a symbol of hope. It sells at the affordable price of NIS 49. Asurot was initiated by the not-for-profit community art project headed by Adi Yekutieli. Asurot is currently engaged in completing what it believes to be the biggest wedding gown in the world, and hopes that the finished product will be included in the Guinness Book of Records, which in itself will make more people aware of the suffering of agunot. Meanwhile, the gown that incorporates embroidered images created in agunot workshops, will be displayed in Rabin Square in Tel Aviv from June 28 within the framework of the city's White Night festivities celebrating the fourth anniversary of UNESCO's conferring of World Heritage Site status on Tel Aviv's White City.

The New York City subway system is one of the world's major miracles, connecting millions of otherwise disconnected people into an entity far greater than themselves.  Part of what makes subway life exuberant even on the greyest of days is the rich array of music underground.  Pictured above:  Meghan McGeary, the "insect goddess," one of the fortunate few talented enough to win a lifetime license to perform. 

What is an insect goddess, you ask?  For more info, check out her web site, music video, and this helpful description from the New York Post: 

"I'm the insect goddess that's come to lift everybody out of their boring day!" announced Meghan McGeary, who kicked off the 20th year of the program by singing and playing drums in the rock-opera duo Dagmar 2.

Wearing a gold bustier and matching high heeled boots, an aviator cap with goggles and a gold-trimmed set of green mesh wings, McGeary sang a quirky song about a guy who can't get out of bed in the morning - and the "insect goddess who plunges from the ether to rescue him."

I look forward to hearing more from McGeary and Dagmar on my way to work--it seems they're getting some well-deserved good buzz!   

Paris Hilton heading the site for a week = proof that I mucked up the cron job that was supposed to have enabled scheduled posting.  Quod erat demonstrandum and all that.

Ah well, no use crying over spilled entries.  As a reward for your patience (which endureth all things), here's one commenter's analogy of faith as to the ongoing Paris Hilton prison saga:

This is like Christ's final days!

From the latest Fortune magazine, a meditation on the current jewelry boom:

And while economic growth is obviously a big part of a country's growing bling factor, it's not the only one. People in fast-growing economies like Ireland, Vietnam and Guyana aren't buying as much jewelry as those in Chile, Brazil or Mexico. Differing tastes and demographics play a big role. Mexico, for example, is a country that's big on traditions, where arty jewelry that denotes a religious belief is popular.  . . .

"Culturally, it's all about jewelry. It's really blowing most everyone else away" says Jacques Voorhees, head of business-to-business online jeweler Polygon.