“Disputed territorial claims have turned the tensions between China and Japan into a favourite subject for a whole genre of futuristic fiction with writers seeing this as the spark that might set off a third world war in Asia” (BBC, May 2, 2015). According to some sources “Japan will abandon its pacifist constitution within four years under plans being pushed forward by the party of Shinzo Abe, the nationalist prime minister.

Recently, “Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi paid a brief visit to Saudi Arabia on Saturday to discuss the Yemen war and the wider regional landscape with Saudi leaders” (Jerusalem Post, May 3, 2015). The visit, which lasted less than two hours, focused on difficult issues in the region—especially in Yemen, Syria and Iraq. This was President al-Sisi’s third visit to the Saudi kingdom since January.

Recently I was talking with another young woman who is a good friend about how quickly time seems to pass. We laughed and joked about how we are getting “older,” although many others that are older than us would doubtless remind us that we are still “so young.” We were discussing all of the things that have happened in our lives since college, where we are in life, where we thought we would be, and where we would like to be.

Taking care of a child has never been simple, but I think most would agree that the world we are raising our children in is a very confusing and complicated one. Everyone has an opinion about what a child should eat and wear, how and where they should sleep, what medical care to give them, how to school them, and so forth. Breastfeeding or formula, vaccines and antibiotics versus homeopathic medicine, disposable diapers or cloth, homeschooling, public schooling, daycare—so much to consider!

“Britain is experiencing the same decline as Rome in 100bc, with the collapse of civilisation inevitable… Dr Jim Penman, of the RMIT University in Melbourne, believes Britons no longer have the genetic temperament to advance because of decades of peace and a high standard of living… Britain is existing in a period similar to the decades before the fall of the Roman Republic where social tensions were rife, the gap between the rich and poor was increasing and extremism was growing.