Two police officers and a first responder were killed in Burnsville, Minnesota, responding to “a call of a family in danger” Sunday morning, according Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. 

The two officers and a pardemic firefighter were killed during a domestic disturbance call. The shooter had barricaded himself inside his home with 7 children and his wife therein. During the standoff and attempted negotiations, the man opened fire, killing the 3 first responders before being hit by other officers who had arrived on the scence. The children and wife were safely escorted out after the man was found deceased at 8:00am. 

The officers and firefifghters were there to respond to a man clearly in crisis, perhaps assailed by his own pain, his own frustration, his own despair, his own internal turmoil, and perhaps the turmoil within his own home and life. Whatever was happening in his life, whatever was occruing or contributing to such a deadly response, the fatal blow to both himself and the responders was actually dealt the moment he refused to respond to the efforts of those who were ulitimately there to spare him, to save him, the woman, and the children.

Sure, he would have faced consequences. But maybe the family would have forgiven him, refusing to press charges. Maybe the state would have been understanding and lenient.

If only he had stood down, his life, and the lives of the others, could have been spared.

Have you ever had the experience of travelling to a foreign destination, only to have the locals swamp you with offers to guide you to all the best attractions. It's a fairly common occurrance. Of course, you'll want to do your homework to be sure your local guide is honest and trustworthy. If so, you invite them into the vehicle to guide and direct your journey. In most cases, it's a win-win -- the local makes a little extra money, and you end up getting the tour of a lifetime.

Because of their intimate knowledge of the locale, they are able to guide you to all the best areas to visit, as well as warn you about which areas to avoid because of the danger to tourists.  It's tough, though, to follow the directions of a stranger. With a guide book in one hand, and GPS in the other, we are often confident that we could make as good or better decisions about how to proceed, especially when the local guide suggests you veer off the beaten path.

He might direct you to take an unmarked dirt road, or to push hard up the side of a steep hill. He might direct you to step out of the vehicle all together and into a dense forest or crowed plaza.

As the driver, of course, you have the last say of where to go. But if you've done your homework and have full confidence in your guide, you'll end up with some great pictures and great experiences in places you'd never find in your commercial tour book.

Almost every dog does it! At the first hint of a potential belly rub, they immediately roll over, splay their legs, and wait for the incoming pats of perfection leading to belly blissfulness.

But what is REALLY happening here? Do all dogs universally love belly rubs? Is this purely about gratification? Or is something else going on here?

Dog behaviourist and trainer, Adem Fehmi, explains that, at its core, this posture is actually not so much an invitation to affection, but rather an act of submission.

"Us humans often see this as an invitation to stroke a dog’s belly, as if the dog is 'asking' us by assuming this position.” But actually, he explains, "The behaviour of rolling over and exposing their belly often starts from submission, as this stance is a submissive position in dog body language.”

Now, that doesn’t mean most dogs don’t love a good belly rub. I mean, who doesn’t?!

Yet, what starts as an act of submission results in the reception of affection, affirmation, comfort, and consolation. Thus, the response becomes both an act of submission AND a learned response and reflexive action in anticipation of the comfort, affection, pleasure to come.