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Spending summers working on the farm is a growing trend among college students. These summer jobs take the form of apprenticeships or internships and provide challenges for both workers and farm owners. Students unfamiliar with the rigors of farm life find it challenging to adjust to early wake-up times and intensive labor.
The trend stems from an increased interest in organic farming. State organizations that oversee farm internships have seen applications double and triple over the last year. Students studying food policy and distribution use the programs to expand their knowledge of the agricultural system, from the ground up (Kim Severson, "New-Age Agrarians," The Columbus Dispatch, June 11, 2009).
According to recent studies in the United States, researchers are concerned that the fast-paced inundation of electronic news via social networking sites such as Twitter may have a harmful impact on the ability of users to feel compassion for the subjects of stories and updates. Experts suggest that people need time to assess emotions and understand events and that the rapid pace of digital news updates doesn't allow for adequate reflection, thereby training the brain to be unresponsive (David Derbyshire, "How the Twitter Age of Rolling Information Has 'Robbed Fans of Compassion,'" DailyMail.co.uk, June 3, 2009).
—Poll by Vlingo, a mobile voice application company. "1 in 4 Americans Is Texting While Driving: Poll," AFP, May 20, 2009
What does a hug mean to you? For many young people in junior high and high school today, the hug is what the handshake was a generation ago.
Social hugging between males and females and combinations thereof is a gesture of friendship according to trends observed by school officials and parents. However, there are concerns. The endless need to hug can clog hallways and lead to more contentious issues like sexual harassment (Sarah Kershaw, "For Teenagers, Hello Means 'How About a Hug?'" The New York Times, May 27, 2009).
What does God's Word say about this subject? The Bible gives examples of many different kinds of greeting, including hugs, and the book of Ecclesiastes says there is a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing (3:5). Extended physical contact plays on hormones and can be precarious territory for young men and young women who are striving to remain pure. If someone isn't comfortable hugging and you are, don't demand they reciprocate. Make sure your hugs are appropriate for the occasion and that they don't invite inappropriate conduct.
Astrophysicists say the sun is getting weaker due to a lull in solar activity. The sun is as dim as it has been in a hundred years with a period of limited solar storms. The last time the sun took a break from activity it caused a cooling period on earth known as the Little Ice Age. This time period from 1300 to 1850 was marked by colder temperatures across the planet and an increase in ice in the coldest regions (Anne Minard, "Sun Oddly Quiet—Hints at Next 'Little Ice Age'?" NationalGeographic.com, May 4, 2009).
Scientists aren't definite on the long-term effects of this dip in solar activity—called a "solar minimum"—and they don't know how long it will last ("Quiet Sun May Trigger Global Cooling," FoxNews.com, May 5, 2009).
Arizona State University scientists believe they have found a lithospheric drip or blob underneath the Great Basin region of central Nevada. The drip is a cylindrical blob of material in the lower crust/upper mantle of the earth that is being drawn down by more dense material, which is sinking into the earth's liquid mantle. The blob is between 30 and 60 miles in diameter, and the lowest edge of the drip extends 310 miles below the earth's surface.
Experts explain that the earth's structure isn't as clearly divided into crust, mantle and core as once thought. Rather, it's more viscous like honey or peanut butter. Areas of solid and molten material alternate, but also mix more than was understood (Jeanna Bryner, "Giant Blob Found Deep Beneath Nevada," FoxNews.com, May 27, 2009).
Colleges are now looking at social networking sites and using search engines to screen applicants for admission and scholarships. The ethical ramifications of this practice have yet to be explored, but some question the accuracy of such searches, particularly if postings have been hacked or hijacked and are not a true representation of the individual (Larry Gordon, "Some Colleges Checking Out Applicants' Social Networking Posts," LATimes.com, April 29, 2009).
Despite the ethics dispute, it is important to be aware of one's reputation. Do your own online search and take stock of what others will find out about you. Is it accurate? Has someone hijacked your Facebook or MySpace page? Are your posts appropriate, or can they be misinterpreted? Do you appear professional and intelligent? Does your behavior befit a true follower of God? Make sure your Internet presence reflects your godly conduct and character!
Evolutionary science demands a promiscuous relationship pattern in human beings where females have multiple sexual partners until they find the "fittest" genes. However, recent discoveries suggest a different model.
Vasopressin—a neurochemical in males—facilitates bonding with one female partner and with the offspring of that female. Having multiple sexual partners and viewing pornography short-circuits the function of vasopressin and damages the ability of males to bond (Sean McDowell, "Why Evolutionary Theory Is Wrong About Sex," Conversantlife.com, April 29, 2009).
The Ten Commandments condemn promiscuity, and the ideal marriage in the Bible is between one man and one woman for life. Other relationship structures, as King Solomon realized after his experience, lead to trouble.
Recent finds in the Middle East include what is believed to be the palace of Herod the Great in the Judean desert. Archaeologists, led by Ehud Netzer from Hebrew University in Jerusalem, are excavating the grand winter palace and have attributed the architecture, sarcophagi and ornamentation to the era in which Herod ruled. It appears to be unique to the region and of very high quality ("King Herod's Tomb Almost Certainly Found," FoxNews.com, Nov. 20, 2008).
Herod was king during the time when Jesus Christ was born and was known for his impressive building projects and persecution of potential political enemies, including the infant Jesus.
In Jerusalem, an ancient papyrus document, also from nearly 2,000 years ago, was confiscated from two men who were trying to sell it illegally. The text contains 15 lines inscribed in ancient Hebrew outlining the transfer of a widow's property to other relatives. It is very rare and valued in the millions of dollars. The Hebrew script is associated with that of the Dead Sea Scrolls ("'Ancient Text' Seized in Israel," News.BBC.co.uk, May 6, 2009).
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