Sightings Articles
Pigs, Plagues, Politics, and Religion
To better understand the nuances of the current situation, it is useful to revisit a historic instance of pig disease that likewise touched on politics, economics, the environment, and religion....
May 14, 2009
The Economy of Relics — Spencer Dew
The most discussed aspect of this month's release of baseball card company Topps' "Triple Threads Baseball" series is, in fact, not related to baseball at all. Inserted in a single pack of baseball cards will be a "relic" of President Woodrow Wilson,...
July 10, 2008
Voodoo's Quest for Respect — Spencer Dew
Headlines early last month, announcing the enthronement of what the New York Times called "Voodoo's Pope," drew attention to one of the world's most misunderstood and frequently maligned religions. The official title of the newly-created position is ...
May 1, 2008
Blood, Oil, and Prophets — Spencer Dew
The bludgeoning conclusion of Paul Thomas Anderson's much-lauded, Oscar-nominated film There Will Be Blood, which will be released next week on DVD, features a preacher forced to renounce his faith in God and admit charlatanry. Offering a mythic visi...
April 3, 2008
New World Blood Libel — Spencer Dew
Last month in Tampa, Florida, a grave was robbed. The body of a six-year-old boy killed by a car in 1975 was stolen. Police immediately speculated, publicly, that this crime was "more" than vandalism: "We are just leaning toward it being cult related...
July 20, 2006
The Comfort of the Villain -- Spencer Dew
With the death of Simon Wiesenthal on September 20, the Holocaust has slipped further into the past. As survivors pass on, memories of the event recede, and the event itself risks, as Wiesenthal warned, the threat of "trivialization." Wiesenthal's...
October 6, 2005
Dumb Words?: God and the New British Artists — Spencer Dew
The New British Artist movement first made headlines this side of the Atlantic with the arrival of the "Sensation" show at the Brooklyn Museum of Art in October 1999. In the ensuing protests, some of the pieces became iconic, albeit more as fodder fo...
July 1, 2004
Kinder, Gentler Passion — Spencer Dew
Mel Gibson's upcoming film "The Passion of Christ" (formerly "The Passion") portrays the final 12 hours in the life of Jesus, opening with a quote from the prophet Isaiah and an image of Jesus crushing a snake beneath his heel. Gibson believes that t...
November 6, 2003
Freedom Fries — Spencer Dew
Recently, a restaurant in North Carolina changed the name of french fries on their menu to "freedom fries," a response to ongoing French resistance to the American and British push for war in Iraq. The restaurant owners described the change as a patr...
March 20, 2003
Showbiz Zohar — Spencer Dew
One spark of religion getting press these days is the popularity of the Jewish mystical tradition Kabbalah among celebrities. The most outspoken of this motley collection of celebrities-turned-seekers is Madonna, whose most recent music video -- to a...