Information Related to "In the News Jan/Mar 2005"
| Audio/Video |
Expedition's
Search for Noah's Ark Is "Dead in the Water"
In the last issue of Vertical Thought,
we reported on plans by an American businessman, Daniel McGivern, to
finance an expedition to Mt. Ararat in Turkey in search of Noah's ark.
Announcing the project at a news conference in Washington, D.C., Mr.
McGivern showed satellite images of what he claimed was a man-made
object—Noah's ark—partially exposed in the
ice about 15,000 feet up the mountain.
Well, the $900,000 project never got off the ground. "The Turkish government refused to grant the explorers permission to climb the mountain. Soon, the mission itself was put on ice," reported the National Geographic News (Sept. 20, 2004). Some claim Mr. McGivern knew that Turkey would deny him permission, since Mt. Ararat, which is located near the Turkish border with Armenia and Iran, is considered a military zone. They believe he was just seeking publicity.
umerous explorers, though, have climbed—or attempted to climb—Mt. Ararat in efforts to find the remains of Noah's ark there. Some have even brought back pieces of wood that they claimed to have taken from the ark, though these claims have all been found to be false.
Will anyone ever really discover Noah's ark? Does it matter? Many believe that discovering the ark will prove the truth of the Bible, but there is plenty of evidence that proves the truth and accuracy of the Bible, whether the ark is ever discovered or not. For more information on how you can know for sure that the Bible is the reliable Word of God, request our free booklet Is the Bible True?
The Family That Eats Together . . .
Can eating meals with your family improve your health and well-being? Maybe
so, according to a University of Minnesota study reported in the August 2004
issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
The "Project EAT" (Eating Among Teens) survey from 1998-1999 found that 26.8 percent of middle and high school students reported eating at least seven meals with their families in the previous week, while 33.1 percent reported never eating with their families or eating with them only once or twice per week.
According to the study, the less often teens eat with their families, the more likely they are to experience "tobacco, alcohol and marijuana use; low grade-point average; depressive symptoms; and suicide involvement." The study's authors wrote: "We found family mealtimes to be a protective factor in the lives of adolescents for nearly all of these variables, particularly among adolescent girls" (Aug. 20, 2004).
Many young people have broken families or relationships that no doubt contribute to these findings. But for those who seek God and want to be part of His family, God promises comfort and belonging. God is called "a father to the fatherless" who "sets the lonely in families" (Psalm 68:5-6, NIV). Christians are told in James 1:27 that pure religion is "to visit orphans and widows in their trouble"—in other words, to remember and care for those in unfortunate family situations.
Teen Sexual Activity Encouraged by Sex on TV
Teens who view television programs containing a lot of sexual content are twice
as likely to become involved sexually at a younger age than teens who watched
less, according to a study published in the September 2004 issue of Pediatrics,
the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The survey asked 1,792 teens aged 12 to 17 about their television viewing habits and about their sexual activity. The lead researcher, Rebecca Collins, referred to this study as "the strongest evidence yet that the sexual content of television programs encourages adolescents to initiate sexual intercourse and other sexual activities."
She added that shows that just talk about sex, and those that show it explicitly, affect teen sexual activity equally. "Both affect adolescents' perceptions of what is normal sexual behavior and propels their own sexual behavior," she said.
The study also showed that 12-year-olds who viewed large amounts of sexual content on TV behaved sexually more like kids two or three years older. "The advancement in sexual behavior we saw among kids who watched a lot of sexual television was striking," Ms. Collins said (LifeSiteNews.com, Sept. 7, 2004).
Rrringg! "This
Is Your Ditch-a-Date Service Calling!"
Yahoo! News reports
a popular new service from Cingular Wireless and Virgin Mobile USA—fake "rescue" calls
to help you get out of a bad date.
How does it work? Customers arrange to be called at a set time (apparently the peak time for bad dates in New York City is Friday at 8 p.m.—that's when most calls are requested). When your cell phone rings, you'll hear an excuse to repeat before dropping the dud of a date, like: "Hey this is your Escape-a-Date call. If you're looking for an excuse, I got it. Just repeat after me and you'll be on your way! 'Not again! Why does this always happen to you?... Alright, I'll be right there.' Now tell 'em that your roommate got locked out, and you have to go let them in. Good luck!"
Bingo, the date (and your character!) is history. How popular is this "dial-a-lie" service? Over 10,000 calls a month are being logged by Cingular and Virgin Mobile customers. That's a lot of bad dates!
Want to keep your character intact and avoid nightmare dates? Dating questions are among the most common questions asked by readers of Vertical Thought. Date wisely! Check out the Q&A section at the VerticalThought.org Web site for some balanced advice. And while you're there, you might want to check out the archived January-March 2004 issue for feature articles on dating.
Related Information:
Table of Contents that includes "In the News Jan/Mar 2005"
Origin of article "In the News Jan/Mar 2005"
Keywords: Noah's ark family meals teen sex television, influence of
Television, influence of: