Kirk Stange keeps a close eye on the calendar — and right now, he's enjoying the summer break. Stange isn't a student. He's a family law attorney with 25 years in the business. During a recent interview, he told NPR he has noticed a pattern: Divorce filings hit two peaks per year — one in late summer and the other in early spring. "It's a very seasonal business," the divorced father of two said, adding that it's similar to the rush CPAs face come Tax Day in April. (Romo, NPR)
Read MoreWhen thinking about the number of people attending their church each week, the experience of the average pastor is vastly different from that of the average churchgoer. The most recent Faith Communities Today (FACT) study revealed 7 in 10 U.S. congregations have 100 or fewer weekly service attendees. The average U.S. congregation sees 65 people gather each week. Similarly, the most recent National Congregations Study (NCS) found the median congregation in the U.S. welcomes 70 regular participants, including adults and children, and has an annual budget of $100,000. At the same time, however, the NCS found the average churchgoer worshiped in a congregation with 360 regular attendees and a $450,000 budget. (Earls, Baptist Press)
Read MoreHajj is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, a religious obligation involving rituals and acts of worship that every Muslim must fulfil if they have the money and are physically able to do it. Hajj Ministry spokesperson Ghassan Al-Nuwaimi provided an approximate number for foreigners at this year’s pilgrimage. He did not say how many domestic pilgrims were taking part. Last year, there were 1,611,310 pilgrims from outside the country. (Anwer, AP News)
Read MoreJapan has recently banned what is known as "shiny" or "glittery" names, which are names with unusual pronunciations, according to The Guardian. These names could include anything from Pikachu to Nike, according to CNN. But Japan isn't the only country to have banned baby names. The United States is more relaxed on naming protocol than other countries, but there are still some rules. (Gomez & Cross, USA Today)
Read MoreOn this small island in rural Nagasaki, Japan’s Hidden Christians gather to worship what they call the Closet God. In a special room about the size of a tatami mat is a scroll painting of a kimono-clad Asian woman. She looks like a Buddhist Bodhisattva holding a baby, but for the faithful, this is a concealed version of Mary and the baby Jesus. Another scroll shows a man wearing a kimono covered with camellias, an allusion to John the Baptist’s beheading and martyrdom. (Klug, Yamaguchi & Ono, AP News)
Read MoreThe hajj, one of the largest annual human gatherings in the world, begins on Wednesday in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Amid rising temperatures and logistical challenges, the pilgrimage has increasingly become a test of endurance both for pilgrims and the Saudi government. Millions of Muslims from around the world travel to the city to take part; Saudi Arabia said 1,475,230 pilgrims from abroad have arrived since Sunday. (Naar, The New York Times)
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