Interaction with Dogs Can Improve our Lives, Scientific Study Proves

We know that human-dog interaction brings meaningful emotional support and health advantages. Using electroencephalography. researchers revealed that petting a dog and making eye contact stimulates higher brain activity in the beta and gamma frequency bands compared to touching a stuffed toy dog. Interactions with a dog can improve attention and concentration. 

interactions with dogs can increase brain activity in the beta and gamma power spectra in healthy participants, thereby activating attention and concentration. Additionally, the subjective evaluation of emotions indicated that engagements with dogs elicited positive emotional responses.

The more we break down the human/animal hierarchy, the better for us and the world. 

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-45639-2

Can Dolly Parton Give Us a Way to Respond to Being Treated as a Lower Group?

“Dolly,” Barbara Walters asked, “Where I come from, would I have called you a hillbilly? … When I think of hillbillies, am I thinking of your kind of people?” 

“I think you probably are,” Dolly replied. “But we were very proud people, people with a lot of class. It was country class, but it was a great deal of class. And most of my people were not that educated, but they are very, very intelligent. Good common sense — horse sense, we called it.”

Dorie Clark, the author of this article, calls Parton’s move the “label upgrade” strategy, and it’s a way to simultaneously maintain your dignity and disarm the person who’s talking down to you.

Dolly is neither denying she’s a hillbilly, nor getting mad at what could easily be seen as an insult. Instead, she claims the label and revises what it means.

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/31/when-someone-talks-down-use-dolly-partons-simple-trick-maintain-dignity-disarm-communication-expert.html

Inclusivity Brings Church Back from the Brink

Glendale United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tennessee has been revised. Nine years ago, only 12-25 people attended weekly services. Now the number is 125. 

Steven Adair, a church leader who has attended the church all his life, knew that changes had to be made or Glendale would eventually close.

“I watched my church die a slow death in front of my eyes for the first 30 years of my life,” said Adair, leads the communications outreach at Glendale among other duties.

A welcome message is read out loud every Sunday:

“We at Glendale United Methodist Church want you to know that no matter where you’ve come from or where you are going; what you believe or what you may doubt; what you are feeling or just not feeling; what you have or don’t have; and no matter the color of your skin, who you love or how you identify — all of you are welcomed into this community of faith by a God who loves you and knows you by name.”

Glendale made itself visible as a friend of LGBTQ people by participating in the annual Nashville Pride parade and festival.

https://www.umnews.org/en/news/inclusivity-brings-church-back-from-the-brink?utm_id=97758_v0_s00_e0_tv4_a1demo0ecs1j8o&fbclid=IwY2xjawTgcO1leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFPNmVTZmxuMzJzcjU5U2w1c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHgy8PY_lk7eAtAIk82yZK5WV5dyIesnS0h1q9Wfq-HnC6ylehfPQcGnZuvGq_aem_AzqCkQaK3DSQ479YvHG31g

Mormon Retention Among Young People is Decreasing

From another source: “While Mormon retention looked solid in the early 2000s, in the years since, as Millennial Mormons moved through emerging adulthood, they began exiting the LDS church in dramatic, unprecedented numbers,” according to sociologist Christian Smith. 

In his recent book, Smith stated that “Why Religion Went Obsolete,” the LDS church was once “legendary for its impressive retention rates among young people.” 

As our population is coming to grips with how hierarchies keep people engaged, perhaps this is an example of how more younger people are rejecting hierarchical religions along side other hierarchical institutions. 

https://religionnews.com/2025/12/10/us-gen-zers-and-millennials-are-leaving-the-lds-church-data-confirms/

UN Human Rights Chair Opposed by Countries of Trump, Putin, and Netanyahu.

Men considered by some to be the three most dangerous in the world - Trump, Putin, and Netanyahu - lead countries that oppose the appointment of UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk for a second term. 

Men who are so intent on building hierarchies with themselves on top, such as Trump, Putin, and Netanyahu, are predictably opposed to efforts to call out countries and people who refuse to treat people with dignity and respect. 

The 27-nation European Union stated that is wholeheartedly supports the reappointment.

https://apnews.com/article/turk-human-rights-chief-united-nations-61dc91622d141da0aba689e6436ea47c

Advice: Don't Engage with White Supremists

Advice about the Patriot Front:

"Their message to America, especially on the Fourth of July, is to reinforce the idea that America was founded as a whites-only nation. That is their goal, that’s what they hope to achieve in the end, that is their end state.

"If you are a random passerby and happen to be in their vicinity, I would recommend that you don’t engage unless you are within earshot of law enforcement or authorities or have somebody else with you and have a plan to leave the premise if you need to. But otherwise, the best course of action is to not engage with these folks."

For many of us who could encounter any hierarchy-building Trump supporter, we have decided staying away is the best recourse, including family members and former friends.

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/who-are-the-masked-men-who-marched-in-dc-with-confederate-flags/4126668/

Rapinoe: Women National Soccer Players Have More Experience in Dealing with Outside Issues Than Men

Megan Rapinoe, a star of the Women's National Soccer Team, compared the experiences of the women's and men's teams when dealiing with interference and negativity from Trump.  She said:

“So, not only does this [men’s] team not have like a core of older players who are used to that, but none of these players talk about anything, ever, like, for the most part. I think in men’s football, just like in general, there’s not a lot of players who are choosing to use their platform or to, you know, broaden their scope of pressure and responsibility.”

Rapinoe also suggested U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino’s teams often thrive as underdogs and argued it might actually have “been better for us to play without” Balogun.

“But I think in general they didn’t handle the pressure of the quarterfinal well,” Rapinoe added. “I don’t think they handled just all of the circus that was around their team very well.”

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/megan-rapinoe-world-cup-donald-trump-us_n_6a508de5e4b08b2da6898a24/amp