BBB News reports:

from Canada.com:


Victoria study with robo-dog shows lack of full tail limits communication
Nicholas Read , Canwest News Service
Published: Monday, March 24, 2008


Dock your dog's tail, and you run the risk of making it more aggressive. So say two University of Victoria scientists after observing how 492 real-life dogs reacted to a robotic dog with and without a docked tail.

UVic biologist Tom Reimchen and graduate student Steve Leaver wanted to find out what effect cutting off a dog's tail might have on its behaviour and the way other dogs behave around it.

What they discovered was that dogs will approach a dog with a docked tail more cautiously than they will a dog with a complete tail. And that, says Reimchen, could make the dog with a docked tail more aggressive.

"Think of it this way," he says. "What type of teenager would you get if everyone approached him saying, 'I don't trust you'? What type of personality would emerge from that? It could be the same in dogs."

These findings, based on a series of observations made in the summer of 2006, are published in the latest edition of Behaviour magazine, a European science journal dedicated to the study of animal and human behaviour.

Reimchen hypothesized that if a dog lacks a tail, arguably the most important communication tool it has when it comes to relating to other dogs, its behaviour could be negatively affected. To test that hypothesis, Leaver outfitted a toy dog with a motor in its hindquarters that would wag - or not - one of two artificial tails Leaver could attach to its rear end. The first tail was 30 centimetres long, roughly the length of a normal tail, and the second was nine centimetres, roughly the length of a docked tail.

Then Leaver took the robo-dog, which resembled a black lab, to a number of off-leash parks in the Victoria area to observe how real dogs reacted to it.
"When the long tail was wagging, then other dogs would approach (the robo-dog) in a confident friendly way," Leaver said in an interview. "But when the tail was still and upright, they were less likely to approach, and if they did, it was in a less confident way."

That, he said, was consistent with normal dog behaviour. In dog "language" a wagging tail usually means "come play with me," while a stiff, upright tail usually means "stay away" or at least "approach with care."

But when Leaver fixed the shorter tail to the toy dog, real dogs were more likely to believe that discretion was the better part of valour and approach it warily, Reimchen said, regardless of whether the shorter tail was wagging.

"Without a tail, whether it was wagging or not, it was closer to the situation where the [long] tail was upright and still," he said.

So, Reimchen surmises, if a puppy's tail is cut off when it's two or three days old, as is often done by breeders of such dogs as Doberman pinschers and Rottweilers for purely cosmetic reasons, it's possible that that puppy's experiences with other dogs will be affected for the rest of its life. And that could lead to the dog becoming more remote and aggressive.

"Our research does show a possible connection between losing that signal and losing the ability to communicate with a potential increase in aggression," he said.

A dog that lacks the ability to express its intentions with its tail may have to resort to other methods, Leaver says, such as growling, lunging or even biting. Or a dog that is always treated as if it were something to beware of, Reimchen says, may become a dog to beware of.

"It's not rocket science," he explained. "Suppose you have a group of 10 puppies, and two of them have their tails chopped off. If we look at those two puppies minute by minute, day by day, and how not being able to signal with their tails is going to affect them, my thinking is that this could lead to a personality that is more cautious and eventually more aggressive."

For opponents of tail docking, the UVic research is one more reason for Canada to follow the lead of Britain, several European nations and Australia and ban or at least limit the practice here.
Said Peter Fricker of the Vancouver Humane Society: "Tail docking is just cosmetic surgery and it's totally unnecessary. It can be a painful procedure and it removes one of the dog's key ways of communicating."

Laughter

Friday, February 22, 2008

We all laugh. But why? If you look closely, you'll find that humor has very little to do with it. In this episode, we explore the power of laughter to calm us, bond us to one another, or to spread... like a virus. Along the way, we tickle some rats, listen in on a baby's first laugh, talk to a group of professional laughers, and travel to Tanzania to investigate an outbreak of contagious laughter.

read more and listen to the stories here ...

History is often a series of events lost in the mists of the past. Then one day, something surfaces to bring it back to life. That's exactly what's happened in the U.S. this week, after a rare picture surfaced that shows two of the world's legendary figures in their earliest days together.

The picture at left is the oldest known likeness of Helen Keller and her teacher Anne Sullivan. It was taken in July 1888 in Cape Cod and shows the blind-deaf child who became an inspiration holding a doll. The word "doll" was the first one Sullivan ever spelled into Keller's hand, and it happened just a year before the picture was taken.

Keller's story has inspired generations. With Sullivan's help, she managed to learn to read Braille and write, without the benefit of hearing, sight or speech. And their work together has changed lives for more than a hundred years.

Where has this rare frozen-in-time shot been all this time? It was in a pile of pictures belonging to 87-year-old Thaxter Spencer, who donated his photos and other heirlooms to the New England Historic Genealogical Society, which keeps track of the state's past.

Spencer's mother was on vacation at the home where the picture was taken at the same time as the Keller family. His late mom, who was four years younger than Helen, often recalled how the blind-deaf child would feel her face with her hand, a means she used to identify people.

"I never thought much about it," Spencer relates about the photo. "It just seemed like something no one would find very interesting."

Historians are marveling at this glimpse into an era and a celebrated partnership thought long lost to time. "It's really one of the best images I've seen in a long, long time," agrees Helen Selsdon, an archivist at the American Foundation for the Blind. "This is just a huge visual addition to the history of Helen and Annie."

"The way Anne is gazing so intently at Helen, I think it's a beautiful portrait of the devotion that lasted between these two women all of Anne's life," adds Jan Seymour-Ford of Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, which Sullivan and Keller both attended.

Sullivan remained by her most famous pupil's side until she died in 1936. Keller went on to become a world renowned author, scholar and humanitarian. She passed away in 1968.

While "doll" was the first world Sullivan signed in Keller's hand, it was "water" that finally got through to the child, who had been an angry and out-of-control youngster because of her inability to communicate.

Their story has since become legendary in the Broadway play and movie "The Miracle Worker", which won both Patty Duke and Anne Bancroft acting Oscars in 1962.

For more on the photo and to read excerpts from Keller and Sullivan's writings about their historic partnership, click here.

Photo courtesy: New England Historic Genealogical Society

John McCain leads the first pets race

Sarah Baxter

And the winner of the animal lovers’ vote is . . . John McCain. The Arizona senator beats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton hands down when it comes to the number of potential first pets.

McCain possesses a menagerie. He has four dogs, including Lucy and Desi, named after the black-and-white television sitcom I Love Lucy, which rather dates the 71-year-old candidate. He also has a cat, a parakeet and a shoal of fish, including one called Lucky, and once owned a ferret and an iguana named Henry, who turned out to be Henrietta and laid an egg.

The Obamas do not own a pet, though they have two photogenic daughters, Malia, 9, and Sasha, 6, who have been promised a puppy should they move into the White House. They have some way to go to catch up with John F Kennedy, with whom Obama is often compared. He kept a pony, dogs, a cat, a canary, a rabbit, hamsters and two parakeets for his children.

A dog is an essential tool of government. There is nothing like a furry friend to feature in a distracting publicity photo during a domestic or international crisis and to provide private consolation when times are hard.

President Bush once said about Iraq: “I will not withdraw even if Laura and Barney [his scottie] are the only ones supporting me.” With McCain vowing to keep American troops in Iraq for 100 years if necessary, it is perhaps as well that he has a number of pets.

Socks the cat was a star of the Clinton years, but should Hillary’s fortunes revive she is unlike to take back the elderly family pet that she dumped on her husband’s White House secretary when his presidency ended. There is still Seamus, a chocolate labrador who replaced Buddy, the second dog owned by the Clintons to be run over.

Mike Huckabee has three dogs, Jet, a black labrador, Toby, a King Charles cavalier spaniel, and Sonic, a shih tzu, but his son, David, was accused with a friend of torturing and hanging a dog at a Boy Scout camp in 1998. Animal rights groups in Arkansas, where his father was governor, were outraged and the 17-year-old was dismissed as camp counsellor.

Lyndon B Johnson had beagles named Him and Her. He got into trouble for affectionately lifting Him by the ears. Checkers, Richard Nixon’s cocker spaniel, was investigated as an improper gift in the 1950s.

Nixon’s “Checkers speech” gave a full account of his finances and helped to clear the way for Tricky Dicky to run for president.

from NPR

Day to Day, February 21, 2008 ·

Pope John Paul II beatified more saints than all other popes combined. Now the Vatican will make the road to sainthood more difficult. Father James Martin, acting publisher of the Jesuit magazine America, talks with Madeleine Brand about the increased restrictions on beatification.

listen to the story here ...

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Oprah to question St. Augustine about memoir authenticity (Part I)

In another expected casualty of the expanding James Frey A Million Little Pieces scandal, St. Augustine is scheduled to be interviewed by Oprah Winfrey on the authenticity of his classic theological autobiography, Confessions.

Ms. Winfrey announced the special live show, to be filmed this afternoon, as "a judgment long in coming. This man used his position of authority and trustworthiness to spin a tale so outlandish, so despicable, that a reasoned examination yields it cannot be true."

Confessions, written in the late 4th century AD, is recognized as one of the great books of Western literature, and recounts Augustine's detailed examination of his life as a sinner until his conversion to Christianity in mid-life. He is honored as a Doctor of the Catholic Church and one of her most eminent theologians and personae.

When asked if she had any concerns about taking on such an revered teacher of truth, she replied, "No, I can't say I do. I know I am skilled as an interviewer, and his bishop's robes will not cloak his deception. I intend to discover the truth behind this matter and all matters in American publishing."

An aide of Ms. Winfrey noted that her boss had not been so "loaded for bear" in years. "It's like we've found a calling here on The Oprah Winfrey Show. This message is, for all practical purposes, the new gospel according to Oprah."

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Oprah challenges St. Augustine on Confessions:"illogical and overstated" (Part II)

In a live special aired Wednesday, Oprah Winfrey challenged St. Augustine of Hippo on whether the events recorded in his Christian classic, Confessions, occurred exactly as recorded.

The exchange was marked by swings between confusion and serenity, a marked change from the caustic James Frey (A Million Little Pieces) interview of three weeks ago. St. Augustine appeared courtesy of the Communion of Saints. Excerpts of the conversation are found below.

Oprah: St. Augustine, the first thing I have to say is, for a man of the 4th century, you sure knew how to have a good time.

Augustine: Well, yes, the conversion was a powerful experience.

Oprah: No, sir, I mean a "good" time...you know, sleeping around with women, this thing with the concubine, an illegitimate son, throwing stolen pears at pigs, generally flirting with excess and pleasure....

Augustine: Ah. A problematic use of "mutable good." Well, I had been a notorious public sinner before my conversion, and some of the people in my diocese called the Donatists were disturbed that I could have been graced by God to become a bishop of the Church. So I decided I should be as candid about my history as possible, in order to more greatly glorify God's work in me. But my youth was my undoing with the Donatists.

Oprah: And you give them lots of ammunition, given that you start with your failings as a baby. Like that piece about being jealous of another baby nursing before you....

Augustine: Not quite. I obviously can't remember what I was like as a baby, but I have seen babies get quite jealous when they want something. I argued that was evidence of original sin, this inherited break from God, and that I surely sinned in the same manner at the same age.

Oprah: Still, I respectfully think you need to get a grip, Augustine. I mean, you're talking about six month old babies. They're too cute to do wrong. And everyone knows you can't do wrong until you learn how to do wrong.

Augustine: Really? I beg to differ. The sinful will is what twists our hearts. That is what my life is meant to teach others, at sad cost to me and others who suffered for my sin.

Oprah: Yes, well, before we indulge in theology, I have an audience to appease, so let's jump right to the sex. There's a lot of it in this book.

Augustine: Um, yes.

Oprah: From Book II: "Clouds of muddy carnal concupiscence filled the air. The bubbling impulese of puberty befogged and obscured my heart so it could not see the difference between love's serenity and lust's darkness." I must admit, that's a line!

Augustine: Thanks.

Oprah: But you were clearly young at this point of the book--perhaps twelve years old at the time--so how could your guilt around sexual impulses to "lust," as you say, be anything but a guilt imposed by society's expectations? Clearly you couldn't be responsible for your actions at that age. Once again, this is clearly over-the-top to the point of being illogical, and a clear example of overstatement.

Augustine: But there you go with that "socialization to wrong-doing" again. If your culture cannot see that we are born with this tendency to do wrong and an attraction to evil, you cannot understand the work of grace in the world--the whole point of the book. Instead, every urge to sin becomes a self-help project that you can manage on your own. I couldn't change my life on my own; I needed to depend entirely on God. I don't see many people acknowledging that on your show, frankly.

Oprah: (surprised) You watch the show up there?

Augustine: I did some research, sure.

Oprah: So...is there anything you do like about it?

Augustine: (Pause) The emphasis on daily gratitude is good. I just wonder who you are thanking.

Oprah: Well...(silence, looking at cameramen)...our sponsors, for one. Time for a commercial break; back in a minute with "All those Pears: Is this for real?"

Thursday, March 23, 2006

St. Augustine gains upper hand on the Oprah Show (Part III)

In an interview televised yesterday, St. Augustine gained the upper hand on Oprah Winfrey. Oprah has been accusing St. Augustine of illogical and inflated representation of the events of his own life in the classic Confessions (see previous articles, part one and part two).

Oprah: And we're back. St. Augustine, the pear tree in book two. Am I to understand you stole the pears, didn't eat them, and then threw them at pigs for sport?

Augustine: Yes, that's right. It was the most base point of my life.

Oprah: Stealing pears was your most base moment? How can you possibly argue that? For cripes sake, you're sleeping with every other woman in the book in your teenage years. And they were just...pears.

Augustine: It was about motive. I had no need for the pears and no appreciation for the pears. I could have seen them as beautiful objects of God's creation, but I didn't.

Oprah: So pineapples wouldn't have cut it? I always thought they looked strange, like diving into a mutant pine cone.

Augustine: Sure, or a coconut. Brown, ugly, hairy things. I'm a saint and I still don't understand God's intention on that one.

Oprah: So if it had been a more attractive fruit...

Augustine: No, no, we're getting off track here. The thing is, I stole the pears only because I got a thrill out of doing something that was wrong.

Oprah: (intake of breath) Like James Frey....

Augustine: Excuse me?

Oprah: Sir, what do you think of Frey's A Million Little Pieces Memoir? It's clear that he overstated incidents of his life to the point of lying. Do you think he is getting a thrill out of doing something that is wrong? Maybe demonstrating a kind of addiction still, but to risky behavior? I mean, let's be honest, if Confessions is on the up and up, you seem to have been addicted to some risky behavior yourself.

Augustine: Well, I think you can say I was "addicted" to sin, especially lust...personally, I'd call it habit. That's why the grace of God was both unearned and absolutely necessary. Look, God knows James' motives, not me. Of course it's objectively wrong for Frey to misrepresent what happened and then call it his life. However, I can't imagine this public flogging was the most pastoral way to persuade him to tell the truth. (clapping)

Oprah: But the people have a right to know!

Augustine: The people have a right to be treated with human dignity, as God would wish for any of his children. (Audience gives a standing ovation.)

Oprah ceded the rest of the show as St. Augustine riveted the audience with a lengthy explication on the relevance of The City of God, On Free Will, and On the Holy Trinity in the present day. At the end of the show, ecstatic audience participants found copies of Confessions under their seats, and rushed the stage for autographs.

"That was fantastic," gushed a audience member afterward. "I never knew a Christian could be so smart, and I watch TV all the time."

Editor's note: This is a P-I Reader Blog. P-I Reader Blogs are not written or edited by the P-I. They are written by readers, for readers. The authors are solely responsible for content.

Mutts, a blog by John Woestendiek of The Baltimore Sun

he British media reports today that the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra has been credited with saving the life of a 3-year-old border collie with heart problems.

The dog, named Talisker, had developed heart problems after suffering from a lung infection and would lose consciousness when he got excited because his blood could not pump fast enough, the Sun reported, and the Telegraph re-reported.

Vets warned Talisker would die from the condition but suggested as a last resort that his owner give the dog Viagra, as the pill improves blood flow to the heart.

Lesley Strong, a former pub landlady, of Yardley Hastings, Northants, said she was "shocked" by the vet's advice but the little blue pills had given Talisker a "new lease of life." She gave the dog the medicine in his food.

The Telegraph presented the story with the kind of British decorum you might expect, under the headline, "Viagra cures dog's heart condition."

read more ...

by Amy Costello

Weekend Edition Saturday, February 23, 2008 ·

Photographer Amanda Jones, who takes pictures of people's beloved dogs. Her sessions run $1,400, not including the charge for prints. But she has plenty of takers among pet fans.

listen to the story here ...

and check out Amanda's web site here ...

By Jennifer Viegas

George and Fritz -- two canine littermates -- spent their entire lives together. In the mornings they squabbled over the tastiest bowl bites. Sufficiently fueled, they then seemed to collaborate on clever schemes, like stealing tennis shoe laces or sneaking into forbidden places. They went on walks together, played and napped side by side.

This went on for 14 years until Fritz died. Suddenly, George no longer acted like the same dog. He slept more, withdrew from social activities and lost interest in his food.

At that point, a visit to the vet was in order. "In such cases, I always begin by looking for a physical cause," said Dr. Raymond Van Lienden, DVM, a veterinarian at The Animal Clinic of Clifton, Va. "I conduct a full examination, do the blood work, run x-rays and analyze the dog's complete health history to see what may be wrong." He added that for dogs like George, no physical malady might show up in the barrage of medical tests. "It's then that we have to look at other possible causes, including grief and depression."

read more ....

Norway Preserves World's Crop Seeds in Arctic Vault (Update1)
By Meera Bhatia and Alex Morales

Feb. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Norway opened a ``Noah's Ark'' of seed samples in the Arctic to protect crops from extinction caused by pollution, natural disasters or climate change.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg and Nobel Prize- winning environmentalist Wangari Maathai placed the first seeds in the 50 million-krone ($9.3 million) underground complex on the island of Spitsbergen.

The vault can hold 4.5 million samples, or 2 billion seeds, and started with 268,000 samples comprising 100 million seeds, including potatoes, barley and wheat, the Global Crop Diversity Trust, a United Nations-linked group that campaigned for its creation, said today.

``This is the first time the international community has taken a dramatic initiative to preserve crop diversity in perpetuity,'' the trust's executive secretary, Cary Fowler, said in a telephone interview from the site. ``That's important because crop diversity is absolutely essential to the survival of agriculture.''

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault features three caverns blasted 130 meters (426 feet) into the permafrost outside the village of Longyearbyen. The entire project was funded by the northern European nation, famous for fjords, pine-tree forests and ice-topped mountains.

read more ....