Links to Your World, Tuesday May 26

Having a little too much drama in your life today? Then click “The Drama Button.”


“If you want to understand the state of American religion, you need to understand why so many people love Dan Brown….He’s writing thrillers, but he’s selling a theology….In the Brownian worldview, all religions have the potential to be wonderful, so long as we can get over the idea that any one of them might be particularly true. It’s a message perfectly tailored for 21st-century America.” Ross Douthat writing in the NYT. He concludes: “You can have Jesus or Dan Brown. But you can’t have both.” So true.


“[You’re] the girl back home that I am fighting for.” The late Donna Reed kept and responded to over 300 letters from WW2 G.I.’s. Reading them now reveals a bygone era. Swell article.


“A week after releasing a poll for the first time showing a majority of Americans describe themselves as pro-life, the Gallup Organization reported new numbers showing public opinion moving to the right on a number of other social issues as well.” (story)


Seven out of 10 people who drop out of the church will do so between the ages of 18 and 22. If your son/daughter or grandchild is in that age range, here are some things you can do about that.


“The worst recession in a generation is disrupting migration patterns and overturning lives across the country. Yet, cities like Portland, along with Austin, Texas, Seattle and others, continue to be draws for the young, educated workers that communities and employers covet. What these cities share is a hard-to-quantify blend of climate, natural beauty, universities and -- more than anything else -- a reputation as a cool place to live. For now, an excess of young workers is adding to the ranks of the unemployed. But holding on to these people through the downturn will help cities turn around once the economy recovers.” (“'Youth Magnet' Cities Hit Midlife Crisis” in the WSJ)


“What information consumes is rather obvious: It consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.” Polymath economist Herbert A. Simon, quoted in Sam Anderson’s excellent NY Magazine piece, “In Defense of Distraction.” You really should read this; the problem is, the ones who most need it are already to distracted to read it all the way through….


Teenagers send an average of 80 text messages a day. “The phenomenon is beginning to worry physicians and psychologists, who say it is leading to anxiety, distraction in school, falling grades, repetitive stress injury and sleep deprivation” (NY Times)


In BC’s “Not Too Late to Find Lost,” Tyler Charles contemplates the cult TV sensation in the wake of its penultimate season finale.