This sobering headline appeared recently in a British paper, The Daily Express, as more details emerged from a covert meeting of the Berlin Group.  This elite group of nations aims to create a super-president that opponents believe will be “a modern-day equivalent of the European emperor envisaged by Napoleon Bonaparte or a return to the Holy Roman Empire of Charlemagne that [once] dominated Europe.”

Each of us had a mother who carried and nourished us in her womb until we were born. Most of us had a mother who rocked us, fed us, burped us, and bathed us. She kissed our skinned knee, sent us off to school in clean clothes, and made sure we did our homework. She taught us right from wrong and a thousand other lessons. Our mothers should be honored.

On May 6, 2012 France elected François Hollande as the new president, ousting Nicolas Sarkozy.  Mr. Hollande, a socialist, has pledged to reverse the course set by Mr. Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel (BBC News, May 7, 2012).   France is a leading nation in Europe, but its fluctuating governmental policies may force Germany to assume a more dominant role in Europe.

Today, it is popular to believe that living together before marriage increases the likelihood of success in a future marriage.  In the USA, “the majority of young adults in their 20’s will live with a romantic partner at least once, and more than half of all marriages will be preceded by cohabitation.”  However scientific research points to just the opposite!  Studies show, “Couples who cohabit before marriage (and especially before an engagement or an otherwise clear commitment) tend to be less satisfied with their marriage—and more

Many of us who are older remember our childhoods as carefree days, full of fun and learning and potential. Sadly, those days are gone for most young people today. Youngsters today face pressure from all sides, to conform, to copy, to get ahead—in short, to be what society considers “successful.” Yet all too many are missing a foundational support that was for millennia taken for granted.