How Gen Y Is Changing the Economy

Kruse Kronicle points out some interesting factoids about how Gen Y is changing the economy.

USA Today: Gen Y forces retailers to keep up with technology, new stuff

The next time you see a member of Generation Y, show some appreciation.

In Gen BuY: How Tweens, Teens, and Twenty-Somethings Are Revolutionizing Retail, Kit Yarrow and Jayne O’Donnell say today’s teens, tweens and twentysomethings “were the least likely to cut back spending after the onset of the 2008 recession.”

What’s more, Yarrow (a consumer researcher and chair of the Golden Gate University psychology department) and O’Donnell (USA TODAY’s retail reporter) say the 84 million Generation Yers born from 1978 through 2000 are so influential they’ve changed shopping for all consumers. They call Gen Y “the taste-makers, influencers, and most enthusiastic buyers of today,” who will become “the mature, high-income purchasers of the future.”

Because of Gen Y, we have:

• More creative, technically advanced websites (50% of retailers redesigned their sites last year).
• A wide availability of online customer reviews (Gen Y writes half of them).
• A faster stream of product introductions (Gen Y gets bored fast).
• Bigger, more comfortable dressing rooms (Gen Yers like to bring in friends to review outfits).

Generalizing about any group this size is risky . . .

The Creation Museum Responds to Earlier Post about SSA Visit

Last week I related the experience of a pastor who had visited the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky, with the Secular Student Alliance (SSA).  Wearing the same badge as the SSA group and touring with them, he described how he felt rejected by several of the Christians in attendance.

Mark Looy, CCO of the Creation Museum, who was also present that day, thought the pastor’s views were too one-sided and responded with his own observations, which I am posting below.

We were amazed at how tolerant our 2,000 museum guests were of the rude behavior of dozens of atheists who toured our museum. (YouTube features some of that bad behavior.) At the same time, most of the 285 atheists were, thankfully, not disruptive. Yes, some of our guests were very unhappy with the behavior on display (when you pay admission to what is known as a family friendly place, you don’t expect to experience loud, boorish behavior, see offensive clothing, etc.), and so I did see some angry stares that signaled unhappiness that a visit was being disrupted. But I point out that the overwhelming majority of the 2,000 people took it all in stride (I walked through the museum several times to ask atheists to keep their voices down and to see how our other guests were reacting).I would guess (and after talking to museum staff) that the few angry stares came from a very tiny percentage of the 2,000 people there that day, hardly enough to indict the entire crowd.

Furthermore, I am proud of our staff’s behavior in trying to keep the disturbances to a minimum and in showing restraint. (Only one atheist was escorted out after being told not to film a private conversation – one that involved children.) We put on extra security personnel that day so that there would be a high-deterrent presence — that was because atheist bloggers were declaring ahead of time that they would be disruptive during their visit, from engaging in lesbian kissing to approaching our guests to question them about their Christian faith.

Our staff’s exemplary behavior was recognized by the tour organizer, who, despite her differences with us, wrote the following on a website:

“Now, I was absolutely blown away by how accommodating and friendly the Creation Museum staff were.They knew we were coming; they knew exactly who we were. And there had been a little bit of tension about the purpose of our visit before we went.But after we got there, the staff were just phenomenally polite and kind and helpful, and the security guards were very polite and helpful to us. We were expecting more tension, so to have everything so polite and so smooth was absolutely great. As an organizer, that was the biggest thing for me: just how well their staff handled our group.”–Lyz Liddell, SSA

Apologetics 315 in Reasonable Faith Newsletter

Dr. William Lane Craig just posted his September newsletter at his Reasonable Faith website and gives a shout out to my recent interviewee, Brian, of Apologetics 315.

Podcasts

Did you see that our podcast “Reasonable Faith” was just ranked by the popular Apologetics315 blog as the #1 apologetics podcast available? (See it here: http://apologetics315.blogspot.com/2007/10/16-best-apologetics-podcasts.html.) Thanks to Kevin Harris for his great work! The same blogsite also listed our “Defenders” podcast at #11, for which I’m grateful.

New Article by Freed Journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee

You have to admire the bravery and integrity of these two reporters to travel to China and North Korea to expose the sex trafficking that takes place involving North Korean defectors.  Ling and Lee describe how they were captured in the dispatch linked to below.

This morning readers devoured a gripping dispatch from Laura Ling and Euna Lee (pictured, via), the two American journalists recently freed from North Korean prison.

The Morning Media Menu also pondered the essay and AgencySpy editor Matt Van Hoven was worried that the journalists’ work would be lost in all the media attention: “The journalists were careful to emphasize the reason that they were near North Korea at all … was to report on sex trafficking and North Korean defectors.’The story of these two is so compelling, but I think it’s sort of over,” [Van Hoven] said. ‘And there is this whole other big issue that I hope doesn’t get lost.'”

(Via GalleyCat)

Disney Will Buy Marvel for $4 Billion

For all the comic book fans out there . . .

In a blockbuster deal that brings together two of the biggest brands in American film, animation and comic books, the Walt Disney Co. has agreed to acquire Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion in cash and stock. The sale now puts such classic characters as Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and more recently popular Pixar characters such as Wall-E in the same entertainment stable as such world famous superhero characters as Marvel’s Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and Iron Man.

Indeed, Disney will take ownership of more than 5,000 Marvel characters. Disney CEO Robert Iger said the acquisition will allow Disney to “maximize value across multiple platforms and territories.”

Marvel shareholders will receive about $50 per share, a valuation that represents $30 per share in cash and 0.745 Disney shares for each Marvel share they own.  According to a statement from Disney, the boards of both companies have approved the transaction. The deal must now be approved by Marvel shareholders and pass an antitrust review by the Justice Department.

(Via Publishers Weekly)

A Case for the Divinity of Jesus: Examining the Earliest Evidence

Thanks to Nick Norelli at Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth for passing on information about this forthcoming book.

Ed Komoszewski emailed me earlier today to point out a soon-to-be-released book entitled A Case for the Divinity of Jesus: Examining the Earliest Evidence by Dean L. Overman.  Here’s the description and some endorsements:

Whether Jesus was really the Son of God or not is a central question for Christians—and one that has provoked heated debate since the time of Jesus’ birth. Dean L. Overman examines the earliest Christian records to build a compelling case for the divinity of Jesus. Overman analyzes often-overlooked evidence from liturgies and letters written in the years immediately following Jesus’ death—decades earlier than the Gnostic gospels or the New Testament gospels. Addressing questions raised by books such as Bart Ehrman’s Misquoting Jesus and Elaine Pagels’ The Gnostic Gospels, Overman presents powerful evidence from the earliest Christian communities that will be new for many modern Christians and builds a carefully reasoned case for Jesus truly being the Son of God.

“Dean Overman covers a lot of very important ground in this well organized and easy to read book. He makes a solid case for the divinity of Jesus, as seen especially in the historically credible accounts of the resurrection. But Overman deals with many other important topics, such as the reliability of the New Testament Gospels and the unreliability of the second-century gnostic Gospels and the complicated question of how other religions of the world fit into the picture. Students, clergy, experts and non-experts alike will benefit greatly from this book. “—Craig A. Evans, Payzant Distinguished Professor of New Testament, Acadia Divinity College; author of Fabricating Jesus

“Dean Overman has produced a carefully written, helpful book that investigates this exceptionally important issue in a persuasive and convincing manner.”—Rev. Dr. John Polkinghorne, Cambridge University, author of Belief in God in an Age of Science, Templeton Prize recipient

“Dean Overman brings the investigative skill of a brilliant lawyer together with the insights of an outstanding Christian intellectual leader to make a compelling case for the divinity of Jesus and his resurrection. The careful argument he makes needs to be taken seriously by all who want to examine the foundations for the astonishing claim that Jesus uniquely is the Son of God. No assertion of truth is more revolutionary in the world’s history than this. Overman presents an accessible, persuasive case for why this assertion is historically grounded and intellectually trustworthy.”—Rev. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, General Secretary, Reformed Church in America; Co-founder, Sojourners

“Skillful lawyer Dean L. Overman has carefully marshalled the earliest evidence available from the early church’s earliest confessions and set out a compelling case for the divinity of Jesus. What results is not just an enjoyable ‘good read’–it is an excellent and perceptive ‘must read’ for laypeople and scholars alike, which calls for an intelligent response in the court of public opinion.”—Richard N. Longenecker, Professor Emeritus of New Testament, University of Toronto, author of The Christology of Early Jewish Christianity

“A clearly written presentation against the proposition that early Christians freely constructed the words and traditions of Jesus. The reader is in good hands.”—Birger Gerhardsson, Lund University, author of The Reliability of the Gospel Tradition

Scientists Who Believe in God

Some interesting stats from Christianity Today.

42% Scientists ages 18-34 who say they believe in God.

28% Scientists 65 and older who say this.

(Source: Pew Research Center)

What do you make of those stats?  I was surprised the older group showed so much less belief.  But 42% is no small number, and undermines the claim that most scientists are atheists.

Man Sentenced 6 Months for Yawning

Excessive?  You decide.  : )

The Week reports:

No matter how bored or tired you are, don’t yawn in Judge Daniel Rozak’s courtroom, said Matt Bartosik in NBC Chicago. That’s the hard lesson Clifton Williams, 33, learned after one such “involuntary faux pas” led the Will County, Ill., circuit judge to send him to jail for six months. Williams was only in court to see his cousin Jason Mayfield plead guilty to felony drug charges. And Mayfield, the felon? He got probation and walked free.

Caving in to Temptation – Research Says it’s Easy

Reminds me of the words from an old Rich Mullins song — “We are not as strong as we think we are.”  Or, as Paul wrote,  “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.” (Gal. 6:1)

Loran Nordgren, a senior lecturer at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, has discovered that people are not nearly as capable of resisting temptation as they think they are. “People are not good at anticipating the power of their urges,” she says. What’s more, “Those who are the most confident about their self-control are the most likely to give into temptation.”

Nordgren’s research finds suggests that because people believe they are capable of resisting temptation, they regularly put themselves in compromising situations they don’t have the strength to endure—whether dieters visiting a dessert buffet or married men having drinks with an old fling. Worse yet, these cavalier temptation facers are likely to look down on others for their weak wills. “They take a very dim view of other people who act impulsively, because they have this belief that they themselves wouldn’t act this way.”

(Via Out of Ur)

Trailer for New Peter Jackson Movie, The Lovely Bones

I haven’t read the book The Lovely Bones (any opinions on it?), which this movie is based on, but the trailer looks compelling.  GalleyCat summarizes,

Director Peter Jackson has released a trailer for his adaptation of Alice Sebold‘s bestselling novel, “The Lovely Bones.”

Jackson directed the acclaimed adaptation of “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, and the trailer showcases some of his trademark fantastical landscapes. The actors starring in the filmed version of the bestselling novel include Mark Wahlberg, Susan Sarandon, and Stanley Tucci.

Here’s more from Paste Magazine: “The expansive cast is made up mostly of veterans, but the girl at the center is Saoirse Ronan, who was a knockout in another high-profile literary adaptation, Atonement. The trailer is a little exploitative (which the movie no doubt will be, too), but the earnest beauty is hard to resist.”

See the trailer on YouTube here.