On May 6, 2012 France elected François Hollande as the new president, ousting Nicolas Sarkozy.  Mr. Hollande, a socialist, has pledged to reverse the course set by Mr. Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel (BBC News, May 7, 2012).   France is a leading nation in Europe, but its fluctuating governmental policies may force Germany to assume a more dominant role in Europe.

Today, it is popular to believe that living together before marriage increases the likelihood of success in a future marriage.  In the USA, “the majority of young adults in their 20’s will live with a romantic partner at least once, and more than half of all marriages will be preceded by cohabitation.”  However scientific research points to just the opposite!  Studies show, “Couples who cohabit before marriage (and especially before an engagement or an otherwise clear commitment) tend to be less satisfied with their marriage—and more

Many of us who are older remember our childhoods as carefree days, full of fun and learning and potential. Sadly, those days are gone for most young people today. Youngsters today face pressure from all sides, to conform, to copy, to get ahead—in short, to be what society considers “successful.” Yet all too many are missing a foundational support that was for millennia taken for granted.

In the United States,atheism is growing faster than any religious group.  Nearly 20% of Americans now avoid “organized religion in favor of a non-defined skepticism about faith.”  Many are leaving organized religion as American society becomes more secular.  These church dropouts are turned off by the increasingly political nature of organized religion and by “Old Testament condemnations of homosexuals, premarital sex, contraception and abortion.

In Sweden, “gender equality” begins in preschool. Sweden’s national preschool curriculum states, “Preschools should counteract traditional gender patterns and gender roles. In preschools, girls and boys should have the same opportunities to test and develop abilities and interests without being limited by stereotypical gender roles.”