In the United States,atheism is growing faster than any religious group.  Nearly 20% of Americans now avoid “organized religion in favor of a non-defined skepticism about faith.”  Many are leaving organized religion as American society becomes more secular.  These church dropouts are turned off by the increasingly political nature of organized religion and by “Old Testament condemnations of homosexuals, premarital sex, contraception and abortion.

In Sweden, “gender equality” begins in preschool. Sweden’s national preschool curriculum states, “Preschools should counteract traditional gender patterns and gender roles. In preschools, girls and boys should have the same opportunities to test and develop abilities and interests without being limited by stereotypical gender roles.”

Last week, North Korea celebrated the 100th anniversary of the birth of the nation’s founding president, Kim Il-Sung. The centerpiece of the celebrations was a rocket launch to put a satellite into orbit.  However, the rocket disintegrated a few minutes after lift-off.  South Korean president Lee criticized the launch, and “said the estimated $850 million cost of a rocket launch… could have bought 2.5 million tons of corn” for the starving, food-aid dependent nation. The South also unveiled a “new cruise missile said to be able to reach any target in the North.”

In a recent meeting of the exclusive “EU Club” (Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and Spain), the group discussed merging the current positions of President of the European Council (Herman Van Rompuy) and President of the European Commission (José Manuel Barroso).

When I was a boy, like seemingly every other boy on the planet, I liked dinosaurs. Back then, I only knew of a few different kinds, the main ones being Tyrannosaurus Rex, Triceratops, Stegosaurus, Pterodactyl and Brontosaurus.  Brontosaurus was a very, very large plant eater that walked on four legs and had a very long neck and tail.  Now, years later, as the parent of two growing boys, I am again becoming familiar with dinosaurs.