For more than a year, Haiti’s law enforcement system has been in shambles. Despite police assistance from Kenya and monetary and military hardware aid from the United States and the United Nations, the situation in Haiti is far from being under control (Reuters, September 4, 2024). The aid has been slow to arrive, leaving security forces struggling against gangs and losing hope.

Rising tensions in the Pacific are stirring nations to act. “Across Australia, decades-old facilities—many built by the United States during World War II—are being dusted off or upgraded amid growing fears of another global conflict” (The Washington Post, August 24, 2024). According to officials, these efforts are not for offense but for “deterrence.” The U.S.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is taking the world by storm. You can now use AI to learn languages, translate documents, compose music, and even write term papers for school. AI is everywhere, but its potential for danger and harm is still not fully understood—and is often underestimated.

Today, fewer Americans than ever are having children. In 2023, the fertility rate in the United States actually fell to 1.6 births per woman, and that is below replacement level, which is 2.1 births per woman (CNBC, August 16, 2024). However, Americans are simply following a trend that is evident in many other Western nations.

Human nature is not generally supportive of seeking the truth. People are often strongly tempted to seek only like-minded opinions and “facts” supporting their ideas while dismissing facts that challenge what they want to believe. It is a trap we can all fall into. Many times I’ve heard the statement, “Well, I still think [blank] and you can’t convince me otherwise.” But, is this attitude really good for us?