Dictators appear to be increasing in number while a growing number of local and national leaders are stepping down under corruption allegations. The global corruption watchdog Transparency International recently released its Corruption Perceptions Index, which reported over two-thirds of nations are corrupt (Deutsche Welle, February 21, 2018). The nations of New Zealand, Western Europe, Canada, Australia, Japan and the U.S.

There’s a saying that a woman’s work is never done. I think for many of us that statement rings true. As a mother, I wanted to jump on every opportunity my family had in getting our daughters involved in extracurricular activities, in addition to their busy days chock full of schoolwork. But before I knew it, every evening was full of activities—from dance practices, to evening sports, to 4-H meetings. It couldn’t go on forever, and the effects started to show.

Some names live in infamy. The memory and names of those individuals have been seared into the historical fabric of the countries and cultures in which they did treacherous deeds. It seems that no country or region has lacked ignominious characters whose names have become reviled. In the United States, the name of Benedict Arnold—the general who, greedy for recognition and money, treacherously betrayed General George Washington and the fledgling Colonial States of America during the Revolutionary War—still is used as a synonym for traitor.

Multiple research studies now show that those who regularly attend church services are healthier and live longer. A 2016 JAMA Internal Medicine study reported that “women who went to any kind of religious service more than once a week had a 33% lower chance than their secular peers of dying during the 16-year study-follow-up period” (Time, February 15, 2018).

The increasing rhetoric and military actions in Syria have “intensified fears that the Middle East is heading for all-out war”—although few think all-out war will become a reality (The Guardian, February 17, 2018).