A Jewish Perspective On The New Testament

The New Testament is constantly being re-interpreted from a variety of perspectives. From feminists, to socialists, to traditionalists; there’s even a version as seen through the prism of Star Wars. Well now, you can add to the collection The Jewish Annotated New Testament by Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Zvi Brettler. Levine, a professor of New [...]

The Good Old Yule Log Spreads To HDTV

If history repeats itself, one of the most popular programs on television Christmas Day will be a looped, seven-minute piece of film that’s more than 40 years old. In some cities, it’s consistently in the top three programs on Christmas morning, and yet it has no plot, no actors and it never seems to end. [...]

How A Thousand Points Of Light Lit The National Tree

Americans use about 30 billion light bulbs in holiday decorating each year — blinking, flickering, sparkling arrays of color that illuminate our houses, city streets and office cubicles. The tradition started out on a much smaller scale, but it wasn’t long after Thomas Edison invented the light bulb that someone first thought of putting them [...]

Iowa’s Relevance Criticized With Locals Caucus-Ready

Every caucus season, swarms of politicians and journalists descend on Iowa. Inevitably the question arises: Why should this state have so much influence? This year, one particularly harsh article about Iowa is getting almost as much attention in the state as the candidates themselves. The article, written by someone who lives there, raises some old [...]

A Homecoming For Rachel Griffiths On Broadway

Australian actress Rachel Griffiths, best known in the U.S. for her work on HBO’s Six Feet Under and ABC’s Brothers and Sisters, has made an acclaimed Broadway debut in the new play Other Desert Cities. Griffiths, who is well-known in Australia for her stage work, tells NPR’s Scott Simon she would have been happy if [...]

Pride And Prejudice: For Latinos, Tamales Offer Up A Delicious Serving Of Both

It’s Christmas Eve, and many Latinos will celebrate the holiday tonight by unwrapping a delicious little present: tamales. At its essence, a tamale consists of masa (a type of starchy corn dough) that’s been wrapped in leaves, then steamed or boiled. Some come bundled in corn husks, others in plantain, banana or mashan leaves. Some [...]

In Japan, Radiation Fears Reshape Lives

Nine months after Japan’s nuclear accident, life in Tokyo seems to have snapped back to normal, with a vengeance. The talk shows are back to their usual mindless trivia about pop stars and baseball contracts. The date of the tsunami and nuclear accident, March 11 — known here as just 3/11 — has faded into [...]

Secular Opponents Of Holiday Displays Get Creative

Joseph, Mary, and … the Flying Spaghetti Monster? Nativity scenes have long been a part of holiday displays at city halls and small-town courthouses across the country. This year, some proponents of secularism are finding new ways to protest the time-honored tradition. They’re putting up their own versions of the creche — and causing quite [...]

After Fukushima: A Changing Climate For Nuclear

This year has something unpleasant in common with the years 1979 and 1986. In 1979, a nuclear reactor at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania melted down. In 1986, the Soviet reactor at Chernobyl blew up and burned. This year’s meltdown occurred in Fukushima in Japan, and nuclear power isn’t likely to be the same as [...]

To Flirt In Cities, Birds Adjust Their Pitch

Have you ever been at a bar where it was just too loud to hit on anybody? Birds feel your pain. A big part of being a bird is singing, often to attract other birds. Sometimes it’s hard to do that amid all the noise in a city. For birds, it’s like living in a [...]