Sunday Roundup

This week, our nation paused to give thanks -- a ritual that, when done regularly, has been scientifically proven to increase happiness. And if we make it a habit, we can get the benefits without the offsetting headaches of that dreaded modern malady, Black Friday. This year, the shopping orgy became untethered from Thanksgiving and floated across to the U.K., where it most assuredly did not increase happiness and gratitude. As we all pause for thanks, we should also stop to reflect on what happened in Ferguson, where a grand jury declined to indict Darren Wilson for the shooting of Michael Brown. Although some of the particulars of the case may be in dispute, the fact remains that Brown was an unarmed black teenager gunned down in the street by a police officer -- yet another victim of the profound racial divide plaguing our justice system. As Brown's devastated family said in a statement: "We need to work together to fix the system that allowed this to happen."