Almost every top-10 name from 2023 is holding steady in 2024 – with some noteworthy exceptions. Ellie joins the top 10 girl names for the first time ever at No. 9, bumping Evelyn down to No. 11. And Asher is back in the top 10 boy names at No. 9 after a year away, while Luca is out at No. 12. (Wahlberg, Baby Center)
Read MoreThe case of the temple sweet shows how India’s food cultures have become increasingly politicized. In a nation where cows are viewed as sacred by most Hindus, many states have banned the slaughter of cows and made the transportation of beef a punishable offense. (Pragati K.B., The New York Times)
Read More[There are] a wave of buyers who are scooping up abandoned churches from coast to coast as congregations wither and disappear. Since about 2000, the number of Americans who belong to a church, synagogue or mosque has plummeted from around 70 percent to around 47 percent in 2021. (Brown, The New York Times)
Read MoreAn eight-man heavy metal band from Mongolia known as The Hu has done what few thought could happen in the 21st century: Create a new genre of folk-metal music. Decked out in black war regalia out of the 13th century, they sing invocations to a Mongolian sky deity and odes to 13th century warlord Genghis Khan. (Duin, Religion News Service)
Read MoreChurches often tower over their surroundings, their steeples glistening in the sunlight. Now a growing number of them are tapping that natural resource by adding solar panels to their roofs, spurred by generous federal subsidies. (Ramkumar, The Wall Street Journal)
Read MoreVisitors at many U.S. cemeteries can check out movie screenings, market days, concerts, art installations and dance and theater performances. Some are even finding ways to change the conversation around death itself − and bringing life to spaces previously thought of only for the dead. (Trethan, USA Today)
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