Some may be familiar with the case of Frank Serpico, a former New York detective whose experiences facing police corruption were dramatized in the Hollywood film Serpico (1973) starring Al Pacino. But we need no Hollywood blockbuster to understand the life and times of a man who faced extreme hardship for following the rules and attempting to “swim upstream” against a morally corrupt system.

Most of the Middle East is desert, and what make it possible for large populations to live in many regions are desalination plants that convert sea water to drinkable water. This is true of the nation of Israel. However, Israel and Gaza have just faced a severe and telling crisis (Washington Post, September 4, 2026). Two weeks ago, five of Israel’s six desalination plants went offline due to algae clogging their intake pipes.

The European Council on Foreign Relations recently completed interviews with 5,800 people across six European nations, including the UK (The Guardian, September 9, 2026). Findings showed that “Europeans overwhelmingly want a strong, united and independent Europe but question whether it can get there.” In fact, 73 percent envision a politically integrated union.

Twenty-five years after 9/11, we see a world that seems in many ways to have forgotten. What will be the consequences, and when will a glorious change come that will truly be unforgettable?