As we remembered 1776 and celebrated the anniversary of the birth of the United States of America, countless Americans were reminded, if only for a day, of the heroic beginnings of this great nation.

Many years have passed since that sweltering summer in Philadelphia when the Declaration of Independence was signed, but they are only a short time in the flow of history. Extraordinary men laid it all on the line as the colonies broke away from the motherland and started a new, sovereign nation.

The Middle East received a major jolt with the election of a Palestinian terrorist group. Headlines shouted: HAMAS' WIN PUTS MIDEAST IN A JUMBLE (Kansas City Star); NEW EQUATION SHOCKS MIDEAST (USA Today); HAMAS ELECTION VICTORY SHOCKS WORLD (Associated Press) and HAMAS ROUTS RULING FACTION, CASTING PALL ON PEACE PROCESS (New York Times).

Only in the last century or two has the matter of mothers – and even fathers – working outside the home become an issue. Before that, everyone was in the "workforce"– at home.

One of the world's most alarming trends involves one of its most precious resources – its youth. Alarmed at the trend, world leaders, law enforcement officials and mental health leaders are nervously searching for reasons behind the mounting tsunami of teen, and pre-teen, violence.

Children – once described as "sugar and spice and everything nice" and "snips and snails and puppy dog tails" – today are growing into a horror story involving some of the most insane violence imaginable.

While listening to a well know radio show, a female caller made the point that we now live it the "age of the wuss." Now, just what is a "wuss"? The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition states, "Slang: A person regarded as weak or timid and especially as unmanly." A "wuss" is a wimp; a timid, ineffectual man.