The Idyllwild HELP Center’s annual Angel Tree is up and decorated with the names of many children. Helping this year are (from left) Teagan White, Brynnley Meyer, Caden Meyer, Peyton Manchee and Colleen Meyer, at the HELP Center. This year, two Angel trees are available. Besides the tree at the Library (shown here), the second tree is at Fairway Market. “We have the most kids on the Angel Tree that we have ever had,” wrote Colleen, the HELP Center’s client services administrator.

At its apex, ancient Rome is believed to have had 1,000,000 inhabitants, monumental architecture and advanced infrastructure. It was also, according to Ron Singerton’s novel “Villa of Deceit” (Penmore Press, 2015), a dangerous labyrinth reeking of arrogance, corruption, abuse of power, and an environment where the fittest survived and others were trampled upon — a…