Facebook Year in Review 2013
Want to know what most people in the world were talking about in the last year? The biggest relief was that Miley didn’t make #1, which gives me some hope for our culture. Top three were “Pope,” “election,” and “Royal baby.” In the US, the top three were “Superbowl,” “Government Shutdown,” and “Boston Marathon.”
And if you’re brave enough, Facebook allows you to create your own year in review to see what were your big interests for the year.
Satanists Want Statue Beside 10 Commandments
Oklahoma’s state capitol may become the first to have a monument to Satan. The Temple of Satan wants to erect a statue beside the 10 Commandments monument on state capitol grounds.
However horrific this sounds, I’m afraid that when you combine the prevailing relativism with the present American understanding of the separation of church and state, it’s hard to argue against the Satanist’s logic: “The Constitution is clear: the government can’t endorse one particular religion. So, if a state capitol has a monument to one faith, it must allow monuments to others as well.”
Couple of stunning quotes further on in this article: “The message of Satanism centers around respect for diversity and religious minorities,” which at least confirms the source of present push for equalizing all moralities and religions.
And, hold your breath for this one. A Temple of Satan spokesman said of their plans, “My favorite idea right now is an object of play for children. We want kids to see that Satanism is where the fun is.”
The College-for-all Model Isn’t Working
“Nearly half of those who start a four-year degree don’t finish on time; more than two-thirds of those who start community college fail to get a two-year degree on schedule. Even students who graduate emerge saddled with debt and often without the skills they need to make a decent living.
Meanwhile, companies in a range of sectors — manufacturing, construction, healthcare and other STEM fields — report severe skilled labor shortages. With more than 11.3 million Americans out of work, there are 3.7 million unfilled job openings — due largely to the growing mismatch between workers’ skills and employers’ needs.”
The Tragic Death of the Funeral
Chad Bird pens a convincing indictment of the trend to turn funerals into “Celebrations of Life.” He says “Although they may initially appear innocuous, or even attractive, these celebrations represent a dual danger: they perpetuate and even formalize our culture’s egocentrism, and they rob life of its true value by refusing to address its end and the meaning thereof.”
He then examines these two dangers in turn before concluding: “The bereaved need, and deserve, something better. They deserve a service that speaks frankly and honestly about death, while anchoring the survivors in a hope that extends beyond this world. If any life is to be celebrated, let it be the life of the One who alone can lighten the load of grief borne by the survivors, and who shines a ray of his life into the gloom of death.”
Rob Ford, The Media, and the Three C’s
Canadian political commentator Ray Pennings says that when he is asked for advice in evaluating candidates for political leadership, “I usually reference three Cs—competence, character, and conviction—as useful criteria. Of late, though, it would seem that crack, cocaine, and cannabis are the more common focus of political dialogue.”
He goes on to demonstrate the double standards of the usually morals-free media in covering the Rob Ford scandal, and says that ”the casuistry, contradiction, and condescension with which this story has been covered is as much a moral outrage as the story itself.”