Assad is moving forces into schools to shield them from a possible US attack.

I think this violates the Geneva conventions.

Afghan government forces are taking heavy casualties as the Taliban attack.

To defeat the Taliban would require a determination to win, which I don't think that Karzai's corrupt government can ever inspire.

Serious negotiations with Iran might help make peace in Syria.

The slowdown in atmospheric heating since 2000 fits a model based on a climatic oscillation in the Pacific Ocean with a period of a few decades.

This oscillation drives the extra heat down into the ocean so that it doesn't all remain in the air. This half of the cycle won't last forever.

The chronic stress in the lives of poor people makes them vulnerable to predatory lending with enormous interest rates.