The crisis in Europe has generated a myriad of opinions about its ultimate outcome. Some suggest a long and protracted period of crisis management.  Others see a sleeker version of a two-speed Europe (The Economist, November 10, 2011).  Some think Germany should leave the EU and take its friends with it (The Telegraph, November 16, 2011).  Some are calling for a New Europe (Reuters, November 9, 2011).  Still others hold to the idea that the EU can be saved only by making the “tough” decisions.

A couple of years ago, I was speaking with a gentleman who told me about a tradition in his family that would come to shape some of the traditions in mine. He explained that his mother would read books aloud to the family during dinnertime! This put into action a thought process that would lead me to dramatically change my family's dinnertime dynamics.

As a father of four, I began to ask myself: “How am I doing with my family? What are my wife and I doing to prepare our children for their future? Are we using dinnertime as a tool to build our family?”

Three months of flooding across the nation has left more than 500 dead and one-quarter of Thailand’s 76 provinces still feeling the effects of flood waters. For three weeks, much of the nation’s capital, Bangkok, has been submerged under waist-deep water.  The sad part is that the water has nowhere to go and is predicted to remain for several more weeks.

Currently, the Australian dollar is relatively strong on the world currency markets.  However, Australia’s increasing reliance on exports to China concerns some experts. In recent years, Chinese companies have been hoarding metals—especially copper—to use as collateral.  With the slumping value of copper, Australian exports to China are predicted to drop drastically, which will negatively affect the Australian dollar (Money and Markets, October 22, 2011).

Saturday, November 5, Oklahoma was hit by the largest earthquake on record in the state—a quake of 5.6 magnitude.  While the quake did little damage, it scared many people who are used to tornados, but not earthquakes.  The quake was felt as far away as Washington, DC, and South Carolina—1,000 miles away (Reuters, November 6, 2011).