William Williams

With all the troubles facing Israel and the Middle East, newsreaders could easily miss—or ignore—an argument over posters. But, quite often, “little” issues highlight big human interest stories. One Jewish outreach group’s clash with the United Nations over a Jewish history display might do exactly that.

Over the past weekend, the notorious Boko Haram jihadist group made yet another attack, leaving 85 civilians and refugees dead amidst the ruins of a burning village. Nigeria’s military received yet another embarrassing black eye, as jihadists seemingly hit and run without retaliation. Why does this kind of madness continue?

Today we may take for granted the presence of women as world leaders. Such was not so common 50 years ago, this month when Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (no relation to nonviolence advocate Mohandas Gandhi) became India’s Prime Minister—13 years before Margaret Thatcher became the United Kingdom’s first female Prime Minister and 39 years before Angela Merkel earned that distinction in Germany.

You may not have heard, but back in June a hoax went around, warning against earth’s supposed impending doom—which (they said) should have destroyed us all by September! Rumors about a stellar cataclysm were “shared” around social media (and oddly enough, gathered some “likes” along the way). Surely, if it appeared on Facebook, Huffington Post or Before It’s News, it must be true… right? In fact, however, whether by comet or man-made catastrophe, the end of the world is no trivial matter—so why should it be treated like one?

Growing up in the Shenandoah region of the United States, autumn was always a special time for me. Much like the hues of a beautiful sunset, the colors of autumn in western Virginia reliably left their mark on my memory each year. And, just as reliably, each year the “Leaf Peepers” came out by the hundreds to see the hills and mountains “catch fire” when the leaves turned bright and the season “fell.”