CHICAGO, IL (November 2, 2017) — Covenanters routinely share links to social media articles and videos that Covenant News Service believes may be of interest to others. Each Friday we post five of them. Following is a sample of those submissions—their inclusion does not represent an endorsement by the Covenant of any views expressed.
Why Americans Have Stopped Eating Leftovers
Researchers studied food-waste habits in more than 1,100 households who kept diaries of their behavior. Now the challenge is, how to get people to change their behavior.
From the article: “What researchers found was staggering: The average person wasted 3.5 pounds of food per week. Of that, only a third consisted of inedible parts, such as chicken bones or banana peels. And of the remaining, edible trashed food, bin digs found that 23 percent consisted of prepared leftovers, from any source—followed by fruits and vegetables, baked goods, and liquids and oils.”
Bump Stocks Are Back, One Month After Las Vegas Gun Massacre
Stephen Paddock was able to kill 58 people at a concert because he used a bump stock to modify his weapon, authorities said. The company stopped selling them in the immediate aftermath of the October 1 tragedy. Although federal and state lawmakers across the political spectrum called for outlawing the product, there have been no successful legislation or regulatory rules.
From the article: “Jeremiah Cottle, founder of Texas-based Slide Fire Solutions Inc., owns a slew of patents related to bump stocks and claims to have invented the device as early as 2005. A semi-automatic weapon releases one round of ammunition per trigger pull. A bump-fire stock expedites the process, in part by using the recoil of a weapon to generate continuous fire.”
‘Tiny House Hunters’ and the Shrinking American Dream
The author of this piece can’t stand the ‘Tiny House Hunters’ show but keeps watching for the same reason many of us do. We’re amazed at what can be done in a tiny house, and we feel superior as we mock the alleged stupidity of people who think they can downsize from McMansions into 400 square feet. Still, it’s another way you can waste at least a half hour of your life being prideful —and more if you binge watch.
From the article: “As the reality of tiny living sets in, the hunters often lament how tiny a tiny home actually is. Or they are in complete denial and exclaim that there is just so much space. In one episode of Tiny House Hunters a man sat in the ‘bathtub’ in the tiny bathroom. He looked ridiculous, his knees practically in his mouth as he contorted himself into the improbable space. He, the realtor, and his friend, who were all viewing the property, were nonplussed, as if the goings on were perfectly normal. And there I was, shouting at the television, ‘What is wrong with you people?’”
The World’s Most Relaxing Song Is Dangerous
Perhaps the song should come with a warning label. One doctor suggested that if you listen to it while driving, your chances of falling asleep at the wheel go up.
From the article: “Marconi Union’s ‘Weightless’ has been dubbed the ‘most relaxing song on Earth’ in light of a study…in which participants tried to solve stressful puzzles while music played in the background. The eight-minute song was found to be 11 percent more relaxing than any other track….Furthermore, ‘Weightless’ also helped decrease participants’ stress and anxiety levels by a whopping 65 percent, reported Inc. This isn’t a huge coincidence though, as the song’s chill-out effect got a little help from science. The UK-based trio Marconi Union created the track with the help of neurologists and sound therapists.”
Professor Shames Class by Publishing Their Browsing History
A University of Michigan professor got so fed up that his students were browsing the internet during class he decided to post the type of sites they were going to. When students find looking at pictures of sliced bread to be more interesting than the lecture, that might say something about the lecture.
From the article: “Many students saw the funny side but others questioned whether surveying students’ browsing habits was an invasion of privacy. Ms. Alsabahi told university publication Fresh U: ‘Most people found [the slide] funny, [I’m] sure some people were embarrassed but overall we thought it was hilarious.’”
