At a time when “growth in military spending is slowing down in the volatile Middle East” and Latin America, military spending is surging ahead in Asia, where a number of countries are “positioning themselves for future conflicts” (Business Insider, February 11, 2016).

Like most boys born in the last few decades, my sons love Star Wars. Each new movie is greeted with enthusiasm, and Rogue One is no exception. As a fan of the movies myself, I usually look forward to sharing this cultural experience with them. Nevertheless, Rogue One gave me some pause as the reviews described it being a darker story and more focused on war than on the more traditional coming-of-age narrative that Star Wars usually focuses on. I decided first to go view the movie with my wife, in part to see if it would be appropriate for our children.

On September 21, 1897, the New York Sun published an editorial which began with: “Dear Editor—I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, ‘If you see it in The Sun, it’s so.’ Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?” The letter was from a little girl named Virginia O’Hanlon. What was the response?

NBC News reports, “Researchers have found a rare and frightening superbug gene on a U.S. pig farm and say their discovery suggests raw meat could carry the dangerous germs into the human population” (December 6, 2016). According to the report, the gene imparts bacteria with resistance to carbapenems, a family of antibiotics used in “last resort” cases when nothing else will work.