It's not uncommon today to see talk and debate about the conflict between male and female interests in the workplace, in education, and in the home. The so-called “battle of the sexes” rages, if you are to believe the popular media. Of course, there are differences between men and women, and there is no doubt that in various ways—and in all strata of society—there are inequities that result in conflict and ill feelings.

New intelligence suggests that Iran could have a nuclear bomb in a year or less. Because of this, U.S. policy toward Israel and Iran recently shifted.  Israel’s Defense Minister noted that “the mind-set in Washington was ‘different two years ago,’ and that the US position vis-à-vis Tehran’s nuclear agenda today mirrors the one held in Jerusalem.”  Further, “the Iranian threat is ‘militant and nuclear and only the naive still believe it is peaceful… [the US] completely understands this now.’”

“What the World Needs Now Is Love,” a popular song by writer Hal David and composer Burt Bacharach, is well known for its wistful lyric:

Vladimir Putin envisions a Eurasian Union that will put Moscow as a top leader among the world’s nations by 2015.  The Russian Prime Minister “has a vision for a Soviet Union-lite he hopes will become a new Moscow-led global powerhouse.”  On January 1, 2012, Russia moved one step closer to this goal with an agreement with Belarus and Kazakhstan to allow free movement of goods and capital across their borders.

Several years ago, I had the honor of being a public school teacher in a major city. One year I was assigned to a new building under construction. When the time came for school to start, the building was not yet ready. So, I was given an assignment to take some other teachers to an old school building and hold classes there until the new building was ready.