sermon illustration
News That Illustrates: December 10, 2012
Average Rating: Not rated [see ratings/reviews]
Websites Urge Girls to 'Starve for Perfection'
This article highlights some of the pressure faced by young women in our culture (and in our churches). The Independent, a U.K. newspaper, has identified between 400-500 websites that promote anorexia and related eating disorders. [Warning: it's a disturbing article.] Yes, they promote eating disorders. The websites "tell people how to stay thin, promoting diets of 400-500 calories a day (compared with a recommended 2,000 for women and 2,500 for men), backed by coffee, cigarettes and diet pills." They also encourage "starving for perfection" featuring pictures of celebrities such as Keira Knightley and Victoria Beckham.
PREACHING ANGLES: Eating Disorders; Girls; Peer Pressure
Happy Birthday, Text message
On December 3rd, the text message celebrated its 20th birthday. Eric Limer at the Gizmodo blog writes, "On December 3rd 1992, a 22-year-old Canadian test engineer sat down and typed out a very simple message, 'Merry Christmas.' It flew over the Vodafone network to the phone of one Richard Jarvis, and since then, we just haven't been able to stop texting." My, how far we've come (or regressed, depending on how you view it). "In 2010, the world sent over 6.1 trillion messages, or roughly 193,000 per second."
PREACHING ANGLES: Communication; Relationships; Technology
Where Did Those 121 Billion Minutes Go?
Speaking of technology, Nielsen (those TV ratings folks) just released their 2012 annual "Social Media Report." Here's one interesting stat: Americans spent 121 billion minutes on social media—and that was just in one month (July). That comes down to 230,060 years of our collective time on social media. Fortunately, that's only 13 minutes a day—assuming you spread those 121 billion minutes across every living American.
PREACHING ANGLES: Communication; Relationships; Technology
Finally, a Faucet that also Dries Your Hands
We've enabled a man to walk on the moon and we've combined peanut butter and jelly in the same jar. But now, at last, there's finally hope that we'll be able to wash and dry our hands at practically the same time. Yes, you heard that right. Dyson, a British company, has invented a water tap that can also dry your hands. No more waiting in line with dripping hands to use that dryer. According to the U.S. patent application, with this "elegant mechanism … a user can conveniently dry their hands at the sink without having to move." Can life get any better than this?
PREACHING ANGLES: Convenience; Impatience; Luxury; Patience
rating & reviews
Average User Rating: Not rated
Review and Rate this Article: *