Links to places where the gospel meets culture
The economy still stinks, which means I've got another round of economy-related stories for you to take a look at this week. First up, if we're all pinching our pennies, what does that mean for Vegas? Between the Vegas story and this story from last week's intersections, you cannot help but wonder how this crisis might very well be the catalyst for some healthy pruning in the lives of Americans.
And Vegas isn't the only one taking a hit in these hard times. Consider this weekend's Oscars ceremony.
Or consider other awards shows - particularly with regard to all the swag celebrities get for free.
That last article makes me chuckle. Note their emphasis on giving more "affordable luxury" in these troubled times. It reminds me of the story I posted a little while ago about luxury shame. I'll say it again: only in America.
Here's one final item related to the economic crisis: The folks over at the Freakonomics blog hosted a contest to find a new six-word motto for the U.S. The final five battling it out for the top spot are pretty humorous - and spot on.
I know it's a little late for Valentine's Day, but check out this article on what men need to know about women.
Wow. Really? You thought that was the best way to handle the situation, ladies?
Did you hear that scientists have discovered that they might be able to use cotton candy to create replacement tissue for human beings? I'd say that's both mind-blowing and creepy. Mostly creepy.
Prolific business book author Seth Godin posted two short-but-potent entries on his blog last week. In the first entry, he encourages us to sprint more in our work (i.e. the old adage is true: too much analysis can lead to paralysis - and subsequent defeat). In the second entry, he encourages us to slow down in our work and fight the urge to "skip ahead" (i.e. the old adage is true, that you mustn't miss the journey for the destination). It's an interesting tension Godin creates - punctuated by the fact that he posted these entries back to back. Sprint! Sprint! Sprint! Slow down! Slow down! Slow down!
There have been plenty of trials against cigarettes companies. Here's another one that's unfolding in Florida. Do they have a case?
Did you know that we currently track close to 17,000 pieces of space debris? Well, thousands more were added when two satellites collided in space. Get this: this garbage - along with the 17,000 other pieces of garbage we are tracking - will orbit the earth for over 10,000 years. Man, we can't keep anything clean, can we? And the consequences will be felt for generation after generation after generation. You really should check this article out - if only for the picture a researcher put together that depicts what the earth and its atmosphere looks like with all the debris. In short, it looks like the bedroom of a junior higher.
China is trying to crack down on a recent slew of fake medical experts pushing products on television.
This Hungarian woman is 83, but she's not letting her age stop her from doing what she does best: robbing people.
And just a reminder: I would love to hear from you when you stumble upon something that you think has some real illustrative value concerning an intersection between the gospel and culture at large. All you need to do is shoot me an e-mail with a link to the article, a brief description of what the article tackles, and your name and place of residence. If I decide to post it in the weekly intersections, I'll do so with a little nod of thanks in your direction.
Posted by Brian Lowery at 1:11 PM on February 17, 2009
