Churches Closing Shop

Posted on Sep 10, 2011

Closed churches are selling artifacts and furnishings in the U.S. and Europe; graffiti artist Banksy accuses a TV documentary of distortion; and Amazon has finally created the Kindle tablet. These discoveries and more, below.

On a regular basis, Truthdig brings you the news items and odds and ends that have found their way to Larry Gross, director of the USC Annenberg School for Communication. A specialist in media and culture, art and communication, visual communication and media portrayals of minorities, Gross helped found the field of gay and lesbian studies.

The links below open in a new window. Newer ones are on top.

Church closures see pulpits flood the U.S. market
An unprecedented number of church interiors, liturgical artifacts and period furnishings are for sale in the U.S. while similar material is disappearing in Europe.

Equity asks gay performers whether it is safe to be ‘out’
Gay performers’ experiences of working in the entertainment sector are being put under the spotlight, following concerns the industry may not be safe for artists who are open about their sexuality.

Let’s Cancel 9/11: Bury the War State’s Blank Check at Sea
Let’s cancel the 10th anniversary ceremonies for 9/11, and everything that goes with them: the solemn reading of the names of the dead, the tolling of bells, the honoring of first responders, the gathering of presidents, the dedication of the new memorial, the moments of silence. The works.

Five Reasons Romney’s ‘Plan’ Is the Same Old Job-Killing Madness
Mitt Romney has very serious ideas for fixing the economy. How do we know? By the typeface.

Dear nudists: please cover up, the seat at least
San Francisco will once again be the butt of national ridicule—or a beacon of freedom of expression—depending on your point of view. The latest issue? Public nudity.

Working-age poor or poor working-class?
Here in the land of high unemployment and increasing poverty, we refuse to call things by their correct names.

Banksy accuses Channel 4 film of distortion over ‘war of the walls’
Graffiti artist Banksy is demanding an investigation into a television documentary about a “battle of spray cans” between him and underground graffiti hero King Robbo.

Amazon’s Kindle Tablet Is Very Real
It’s called simply the “Amazon Kindle.” But it’s not like any Kindle you’ve seen before. It displays content in full color. It has a 7-inch capacitive touch screen. And it runs Android.

More Below the Ad

New and Improved Comments

We are launching a major overhaul of our comments section.

In addition to more robust spam filtering and moderation, new features include the ability to rate other comments, sort how they are displayed and respond directly via e-mail or in a thread.

Unfortunately, commenters will lose their existing Truthdig identities. It's a pain, we know, but on the plus side you will now be able to log in with a plethora of options, including Google, Twitter, Facebook and Disqus accounts.

Before launching this system we spent months in discussion with our top commenters. We listened to the feedback and we hope you like what we've come up with.

Please direct any problems or concerns to us via our contact page.