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Over at Jezebel, a jeremiad against the commodification of spirit & community in Bali in the wake of spiritual tourists inspired by Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love:

According to the locals who met her, Gilbert was a rather quiet woman, not abnormal or larger than life. It's something to consider when almost every conversation in Ubud will somehow return to The Book, which is prominently displayed around town, framed and in multiple languages. Expats (many of whom are ponytailed men who once lived in Northern California) mostly hate it. One restaurant has a t-shirt for sale, the design of which urges people to Eat, Pay, Leave.

According to a post in the Bali Expat Forum, the restaurant where you can find these t-shirts for sale is Naughty Nuri's Warung.

Many moons ago, before geek chic had become a world religion, Star Trek's true believers had to hide their faith from their mainstream persecutors through coded communications. Above: the iconic symbol etched on many a fan's cubicle is now a ThinkGeek car ornament: the Trek Fish.

And here's another Hollywood blast from the past: How the Jesus Fish Helped Create the Matrix.

Newsweek may have found a way for magazines to be relevant in the digital age: publish a cover with Sarah Palin in religious garb. Above: the latest Newsweek cover. Below: Rabbi Sarah and Sarah Pagan, a couple of the parodies created by Vanity Fair.   

To complement your Jesus is a Yankees Fan t-shirt, here's a Yankees devotional copper icon featured in the fun new book version of Regretsy--Where DIY meets WTF.

Regretsy, as the title suggests, heaps a generous dollop of snark on the goofiest items from Etsy. But the site's about a lot more than having a laugh at others' expense--besides bringing to light some of the more offbeat expressions of human creativity, Regretsy has also raised thousands of dollars for charity--"profits from Regretsy merchandise are used to hire Etsy artists to create handmade products for various charities, or to directly benefit Etsy sellers in need."

The gospel according to Red Sux Nation.

This multifaith stained glass window is arguably the iconic image of the Lost finale, if not the whole series. The screenshot is from Jezebel, where Tracie Egan provides a characteristically insightful analysis of the show's Buddhist themes:

a component of Tibetan Buddhism, bardos are the different phases the deceased experience between dying and rebirth. It's a dream-like reality, created by the "awareness" (or a soul) that is freed from the body upon death. Because of the disconnect of the awareness from the physical body, the deceased doesn't immediately realize that he or she is dead. In the different bardo phases, the "awareness" needs guidance—from different deities, or, you know, guides (hello, Desmond)—to attain enlightenment, i.e., realize that they're dead. A karmic mirror (remember all those mirrors?) is held up to the deceased so that s/he can reflect and eventually recognize. Once this happens—and it can happen in any of the bardo phases, depending on how much emotional baggage a person has packed for the afterlife—the deceased achieves Nirvana, and can "move on." Depending on your belief system, this can be heaven, reincarnation, or some kind of simulated reality, like Eloise Hawking for herself and her son.

For more on how Tibetan Buddhism relates to other faiths, check out this new NY Times op-ed by the Dalai Lama himself--who, for all his spiritual insight, still fails to explain the deeper meaning of Lost's polar bear.

The publicity rollout continues for Kardashian Jewelry Collection for Virgins, Saints & Angels. Regardless of how that may sound, Virgins, Saints & Angels is not a description of the target clients--its actually a design brand of its own featuring "edgy jewelry made with original Vatican medallions." Still, despite the PR touting the "collaboration" VSA is careful to clarify that the Kardashian Jewelry Collection is "separate" from the company's main line.

Above: a Kardashian Armenian Cross Rosary, which exemplifies how the Kardashian collection's own brand identity draws on the sisters' religious heritage. For more on the richness of Armenian culture, values and history, check out the Kardashians' reflections on their pilgrimage to the Nordstrom's at Fashion Island.

These TARDIS dangle earrings--shrink plastic designed for a stained-glass effect--would be the perfect thing to wear to commemorate the announcement that The Doctor has replaced St. George as England's patron saint.

Not that the Church has actually made that decision--yet--but The Guardian's Adam Rutherford makes a compelling argument based on the role of narrative & design in defining national identity:

Although narratives play an important role in cultural membership, national icons are often fatuous and irrelevant. St George is a symbol about whom we know almost nothing and whose own narrative represents almost nothing, St George is a third of the reasons for Henry V's rousing battle cry, which is now mostly appropriated by adverts for sporting events. Other than that, and our crusade-inspired flag, George has not much to do with being English in the 21st century.

So I suggest a new one: The Doctor, the shape-shifting time-travelling guardian of humanity from Doctor Who. In fact, the Doctor shares many striking similarities with St George. Both are dragon-slaying outsiders, fighting on foreign shores to protect their adopted people. But we know so much more about the Doctor, and thus can proudly and sensibly sing his praises. If we as a people demand collective narrative from legend, we might as well make it a ripping yarn.

The Doctor possesses so many traits of Englishness to which we should all aspire: defiance and good humour in the face of adversity; a sense of style that is at once individual, traditional and contemporary; a special brand of cheeky conservative rebelliousness; a humbling reliance on hot companions. Follow your spirit and upon this charge cry God for Harry, England and the Doctor!

I'm still immersed in a couple major projects, but when I heard about The Infidel--a comedy about a Muslim man who finds out not only that he was adopted, but that he was born Jewish--I knew that I had to at least check out the trailer. And when I saw the trailer, I knew I had to see the whole movie, if only to confirm here that yes, the burqa dance scene at 1:31 in the video above is indeed an integral part of the film, one of several pivotal scenes that underscore the complex relation of style and self.

The Infidel--now playing in the UK, at the Tribeca Film Festival and on demand on several major cable providers--is a fun & thoughtful examination of spirituality, culture & identity. Not surprisingly, design plays a central role in the film, from the hair (or lack thereof) on the head of the stellar lead Omid Djalili to the subtle shifts in dress as the story unfolds. Equally important: the role of humor in promoting mutual respect--a theme that the filmmakers explore even further in their online feature on the quest to find the funniest religious joke.

Via io9, Gade's fascinating artwork uses a blend of superheroes and Buddhist iconography to explore consumerist spirituality:

Gade points out "In most people's minds, Tibet is an ancient, mysterious and exotic place. The notion of 'Tibet' is a conundrum. When outsiders actually visit Tibet, especially Lhasa, they get culture shock when they see all the pop culture, fast food, rock music, Coke and beer, brand name clothing, Hollywood movies, the nightlife scene, etc. I think Lhasa ought to be renamed Lhasa Vegas."

Paintings from his 'New Buddha Series' and his 'Diamond Series' reflect this culture shock with images of such American iconic pop figures as Mickey Mouse, Spiderman and the Hulk appearing in the centre of traditional-looking works. Gade points out that these figures show up in every corner of the earth. "When I visited a tiny village called Pazi at the base of Mount Xishabangma (8,102 metres) in the Himalayas, the kids there had backpacks with Mickey Mouse on them, and were drinking Coca Cola. That made me realise the incredible power of those ubiquitous emblems of Western culture and Western values."

Although Gade's work deals with consumerism, which he finds fascinating, he says "I sincerely want my work to be part of the continuity of Tibetan art, to belong to a 'Tibetanised' context, rather than to a Western or Chinese language system". His new 'Mandala Series' takes the Buddhist mandala, which represents an entire world or state of mind, and puts in monsters, tools and objects or, as in Five new Buddhas, Mickey Mouse and Batman as two of the 'new Buddhas'. A Buddhist himself, Gade does not believe that such works are blasphemous as "The Buddhist gods are wise: they know precisely why I do what I do. … The responsibility of the artist goes beyond creating beautiful things. I just say what I believe."