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HijabSkirt.info is a website dedicated to overcoming "rooted prejudices about women in the hijab as well as women in skirts." Founded by three journalists and supported by the UN, Hijabskirt notes that the split between hijab and skirt is stronger than the Berlin Wall, splitting the planet between East and West, but the site hopes to use communication, education and collaboration to help overcome the divide.

The latest entry on the site provides a fascinating reflection on how Benazir Bhutto embodied this cultural tension. The author: Sherry Rehman, Pakistan's former Minister of Information and a personal friend of the Prime Minister. As Rehman observes, a woman's choice of dress can be a profound moral act:

Whether a woman dons the hijab or miniskirt, that personal choice should be an absolutely free choice. It would be an injustice of monumental proportions if half of humanity is deprived of this right by subjecting them to fears, of being judged upon their appearances.

Unfortunately, both east and west are guilty of this.

How the western media howls when Angela Merkel appeared at the Oslo Opera in a Victorian designer dress or when Michelle Obama decides to dress a bit more casually. How the online Pakistani forums shot a fuse when Benazir was revealed to wear skirts and western clothing of her choice privately. What is common in all of those hyperventilating media reactions, is the self arrogated custodians of culture, religion and morals, who think they have the right to pass judgment on women, who have done nothing but exercised their personal choices.

Benazir Bhutto was my close friend. My beloved Bibi. She used to say that the best hijab is in the eyes of the beholder. . . .

For an inside look at Benazir Bhutto's perspective on the hijab and Western dress, read the whole thing.

(Thanks to Chankia Abitkar for the link!)

"The activation of a superstition can indeed yield performance-improving effects." That's the conclusion of an upcoming article in Psychological Science, which observes that lucky objects can reinforce a person's sense of control and thereby actually increase the likelihood of achieving a desired outcome.

However, the same article notes that lucky charms tend not to be propitious in situations over which a person has little to no control--such as, say, an eBay auction for a lucky pendant:

The "Figa" is Brazil's omnipresent good luck symbol. The raised fist with thumb between first and second fingers is multi-functional - symbolizing fertility, passion, luck. Made from everything from broken stones to silver and semi-precious stones, it keeps evil spirits away.

Letters of Note is a brilliant new site that became an instant addiction from the first time I read it. Above is an example of the wonders you can find there: correspondence featuring the personal logo of imprisoned serial killer Richard "NightStalker" Ramirez.

Today, I was delighted to hear from the LoN's creator in regard to a missive featured here on the BofG--the letter to me from Matt Groening in which he Groening explained the relationship between the Simpsons and the divine. Check it out here.

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.

Move over at Poynter, via Gawker.

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.