The Eclectic Web–2013.01.17
Eclectic: “composed of elements drawn from various sources” (M-W Thesaurus).
The Eclectic Web is the fruit of your editor’s wanderings around the web and is offered as a matter of possible interest to others.
Persecution:
Islamic extremism dominates persecution list
“Eight of the top 10 persecutors of Christians — and 24 of the top 30 — are countries marked by militant Islam, according to Open Doors’ 2013 World Watch List released Jan. 8.”
Politics of life:
Obama Admin Loses 10, Wins 4 Contraception Mandate Lawsuits
“The Obama administration’s record in cases litigated so far involving the contraceptive mandate is at 10 losses and only four wins, according to Alliance Defending Freedom, which released a “scorecard” of the more than 40 cases so far over the Health and Human Services requiring employers, including religious organizations, to provide insurance that cover contraception, sterilization and some abortifacient drugs.”
Vices: Gambling
I’m Losing Money. So Why Do I Feel So Good?
“What may not be so evident is how a shift in casino gambling to screen-based games contributes to gambling addiction. It’s a story that would fill a book — and just such a book has arrived: ‘Addiction by Design: Machine Gambling in Las Vegas’ by Natasha Dow Schüll, an associate professor in the Program in Science, Technology and Society at M.I.T. The book offers a history of digital technology in casino gambling and shows how it grabs hold of players in ways never before available to equipment makers.
“Professor Schüll, a cultural anthropologist, spent considerable time in Las Vegas casinos as part of her research. She met players who told her how they sought to enter a mindless state, a ‘zone,’ in which all else is obliterated, and to stay there as long as possible.
“‘You aren’t really there — you’re with the machine and that’s all you’re with,’ one subject said, describing the zone ‘where nothing else matters.’”
Vices: Alcohol
Binge drinking: Not just a man’s problem
“Alana Mokma remembers the first time she got drunk during a friend’s birthday party. The Long Island was so strong, she couldn’t walk to the bathroom. At first, she thought someone had drugged her. When she realized it was just alcohol, she was shocked, then hooked: “I began to crave that high,” she wrote on her blog. “The pains of my past no longer haunted me.”“
Vices: Unfettered Males
An Oil Town Where Men Are Many, and Women Are Hounded
“Will I stay for very long? Probably not,” she said. “To me, there’s no money in the world worth not even being able to take a walk.”
The story contains many unfortunate themes, but one has to wonder if the integrated military doesn’t suffer these same kinds of problems, especially when on deployment overseas. There is perhaps more discipline in the military, but it is hardly likely to change human makeup.
Publication of links in The Eclectic Web feature does not imply endorsement of the viewpoint or contents of any of the websites linked. The links are provided as a matter of interest to Christians.