Cover art for the first volume of "Saint Young Men" manga series, published by Kodansha.

Ever wondered what a young Buddha and Jesus would do if they left their celestial realms to take a stealth vacation in modern day Tokyo? This is the premise for Saint Young Men (Seinto Oniisan), a manga series that is hugely popular in Japan. Written and Illustrated by Hikaru Nakamura, the series follows the lives of best friends, Buddha and Jesus, as they live together in Tachikawa, a western suburb of Tokyo. The roomies do many of the things that average twenty-something guys do, like blogging, playing video games and going to amusement parks, all while attempting to keep their true heavenly identities a secret. Though the besties try to blend in with modern Japanese society, their unique appearances sometimes attract attention. Teenage school girls often remark on Jesus’ Johnny Depp-like good looks, and Buddha’s unique bun-style hairdo is a subject of teasing with the neighborhood boys. Their divine nature unavoidably shows through at times, as when Buddha grows incandescent with heavenly excitement and Jesus inadvertently changes the local public bath water into wine. Read more…

The Sistine Hall in the Vatican Library.

After three yeas of extensive remodeling, the Vatican Library will finally re-open its doors to researchers and scholars on September 20, 2010. According to the Rome Reports website, the majority of the remodel was focused on upgrading library security, and now all books will be tracked electronically using RFID tags. “Each book is identified by a computer code, a tag with an electronic chip. Then, according to the user, there may be places accessible or forbidden depending on the volume and the person who takes the book,” explains Msgr. Cesare Pasini, Director of the Vatican Library. Now the location of every book will be known at all times, and any unauthorized removal of a book from a restricted area, or even the library premises, can be prevented. RFid Gazette has identified the electronic tags used in the library as Texas Instruments’ Tag-it™ models. Additionally, cameras and security arches have also been installed in each room.
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Photo by Alan Light, 1975.

Ray Bradbury, author of The Martian Chronicles, Fahrenheit 451 and numerous short stories, is widely regarded as one of the 20th century’s most important writers. As his 90th birthday approaches later this month, Bradbury reflects back on his life, work and the gift that allows him to conjure “the monsters and angels” of creativity, in an interview with CNN.com. Of his talent he says, “It’s a God-given thing, and I’m so grateful, so, so grateful. The best description of my career as a writer is, ‘At play in the fields of the Lord.’ ” Fellow writer and friend Sam Weller has recently published a collection of interviews, Listen to the Echoes: The Ray Bradbury Interviews (Stop Smiling Books, 336pgs), that focuses a whole chapter on the author’s faith. A self described, “delicatessen religionist”, Bradbury doesn’t adhere to one singular religion, but draws inspiration from both Western and Eastern faiths. The foundation of his belief in a higher-power has always been love. “…I love all people. I love the world. I love creating. …Everything in our life should be based on love.”
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By Herman Wouk
Little, Brown and Company | 192pgs
Release Date: April 5, 2010

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Herman Wouk endeavors to integrate the disciplines of faith and science in his latest book The Language God Talks: On Science and Religion. Reflecting on his own experiences, fictional writings and friendships with scientific luminaries during his 94 years of life, Wouk theorizes how religion and science can work together to answer life’s major questions about the purpose of humanity and the value of belief in a higher power. During his research into the history of the atomic bomb for the books The Winds of War and War and Remembrance, the author became acquainted with many leading scientists, including Steven Weinberg, Murray Gell-Mann, and Freeman Dyson. But, it was his friendship with Nobel laureate Richard Feynman that inspired Wouk and helped to re-affirm his faith.
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