What's Love Got To Do With It?

Love, passion, lust -- all of these terms are familiar to most humans; however, finding accurate and concise definitions of the words is a daunting task. One thing most people agree about is that passionate love seems to fall dramatically as a relationship grows past a certain point. At this point, people are hard pressed to find reasons for the decline of passionate emotion. This post explores possible reasons for the lost sting of Cupid's arrow.

 Ancient Philosophy and Desire

In Greek thought, eros connotes desire, longing, disequilibrium, and is generally sexual in nature. Yet, in Plato's Symposium and Phaedrus, eros begins with a person as its object, and soon becomes transferred from the particular person to his/her beauty. Then, eros finally gravitates towards immaterial objects such as the form of beauty itself. This desire for immaterial beauty is a recollection of the vision of forms such as those of justice, wisdom, and knowledge that the soul of a person was able to perceive on the "Plain of Truth" in its previous life. The Plain of Truth is the place sought by the soul with help from the gods to find where the noblest part of the soul may receive nourishment. (John Opsopau, www.cs.utk.ed, 2006)

Plato believed bodily beauty induces remembrance of this state, called anamnesis, and enables the soul to begin to climb the ladder back to spiritual truth. The philosopher, the poet, the lover, and the follower of the muses (or creative artist) are all inspired by the divine power of eros, which dictates the passionate pursuit of the truly real, pure intellectual light, through beauty, wisdom, and the arts. (www.answers.com)

The Biology Of Love and Passion

The current knowledge of the neurobiology of romantic love remains somewhat scanty. In view of the complexity of a sentiment like love, it would not be surprising that a diversity of biochemical mechanisms could be involved in the mood changes of the initial stage of a romance. (Thomas Lewis, F. Amini, and R. Lannon, A General Theory of Love, 2000)

In particular, many scientists have begun to study the action of genes, neurons, and chemical messengers such as hormones and pheromones. The trouble with human subjects is that ethical concerns rule out genetic manipulation, which would be required to deconvolute the interactions of many genes. (Michael Gross, Chemistry World, February 2006)

Most biological models of sex tend to view love as a mammalian drive, much like hunger or thirst. Helen Fisher, an anthropologist at Rutgers University and a leading expert in the topic of love, relates, "There is no human culture on Earth that has been proven not to know the phenomenon of romantic love." If it is universal, scientists argue, there must be a biological basis for it. In other words, it cannot be simply a cultural tradition like cricket or opera.

Fisher divides the experience of love into three partly-overlapping stages: lust, attraction, and attachment. Lust exposes people to others, romantic attraction encourages people to focus their energy on mating, and attachment involves tolerating the spouse long enough to rear a child into infancy.

Lust, the initial passionate sexual desire that promotes mating, involves the increased release of chemicals such as testosterone and estrogen. These effects rarely last more than a few weeks or months. Attraction is the more individualized and romantic desire for a specific candidate for mating, which develops out of lust as commitment to an individual mate forms.

The Brain In Love

The Love Drug

Recent studies have shown that brain scans of those infatuated by love display a resemblance to those with a mental illness. Love creates activity in the same area of the brain that hunger, thirst, and drug cravings do. New love, therefore, could possibly be more physical than emotional. Scientists say over time, this reaction to love mellows, and different areas of the brain are activated, primarily ones involving long-term commitments. Dr. Andrew Newberg, a neuroscientist, suggests that this reaction to love is so similar to that of drugs because without love, humanity would die out.

According to Dr John Marsden, head of the National Addiction Centre at the Maudsley Hospital in London, love could be as addictive as cocaine or speed. During attraction, the brain releases dopamine, giving the same reaction that taking cocaine or speed would create. "Attraction and lust really are like drugs. They leave you just wanting more," he said. (Ananova, November 24 2003)

Much the same as the efficiency of drugs, the effect of the first flush of love is temporary. "Scientific research reveals the first flush of love lasts only between three and seven years," Marsden added.

The findings also investigate links to love between people's smells and facial features. Dr Marsden's research revealed that "sex is booby-trapped" to make people bond with their partner. "Your body has evolved over millions of years with one aim - to go forth and multiply, so while having kids may not be on the agenda just yet your body has a few tricks up its sleeve to drag you in that direction," he said. More research on smells and facial features is sure to come.

According to the recent research the more people have sex together, the more likely they are to bond.

Pavia University researchers in Italy say the powerful emotions that bowl over new lovers are triggered by a molecule known as Nerve Growth Factor or the so-called "love molecule." The Italian scientists found far higher levels of NGF in the blood of 58 people who had recently fallen madly in love than in that of a group of singles and people in long-term relationships, reports Reuters news. (November 30, 2005)
 
The BBC (www.wtopnews.com, November 30 2005) reports that the team looked at alterations in proteins known as neurotrophins in the bloodstreams of these men and women aged 18 to 31. The research published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology finds it is not clear how falling in love triggers higher levels of NGF, but the molecule clearly has an important role in the "social chemistry" between people at the start of a relationship.

After a year with the same lover, the quantity of the 'love molecule' recedes. It's not that people are no longer in love, the BBC says, quoting report co-author Piergluigi Politi. "The love became more stable. Romantic love seemed to have ended," he says.


This research places a lifespan of just two years on lust. After this, the chemical that makes new lovers irresistible to each other seems to disappear from their systems.

If it's a consolation, researchers say, "As the passion fades away, a 'cuddle hormone' apparently kicks in, helping the couple to survive the loss of that first spark of romance." (www.wtopnews.com, November 30 2005)

The scientists found neurotrophins had been replaced by oxytocin, which they nicknamed 'the cuddle hormone', in those who had been together for several years.

Oxytocin is a chemical known to induce labour and milk-production in pregnant and new mothers. However it also seems to thrive in couples enjoying long, loving relationships. The results were reported in the journal Chemistry World, published by the Royal Society of Chemistry.

"If lovers swear their feelings to be ever-lasting, the hormones tell a different story," biochemist Michael Gross said in his report. "It shows that different hormones are present in the blood when people are acutely in love.There is no evidence of the same hormones in people who have been in a stable relationship for many years. In fact the love molecules can disappear as early as 12 months after a relationship has started to be replaced by another chemical glue that keeps couples together." (Michael Gross, Chemistry World, February 2006)

In 2007, building on German polymath Johann von Goethe's theories of amorous Elective Affinities between couples, American chemical engineer Libb Thims published a two-volume book on the subject of the chemistry of love, in which people are viewed as reactive chemical species that form bonds, break bonds, and evolve  according to the laws of chemistry, particularly the combined law of thermodynamics. (Libb Thims, Human Chemistry: Volume One, 2007)

"I loved him as we always love for the first time; with idolatry and wild passion."
— Candide 

"The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed. "
— Carl Gustav Jung 

Can a Man and a Woman Remain Just Best Friends?

Well, after ruminating over this topic and putting it through the Miller Lite marinade, I am going to tackle the question of "Can a man and a woman be best friends, sans romance?" I must admit, I enter this search with some serious doubt that romance can be contained in these situations because of the obvious attractions, both physical and psychological, of both sexes. However, I am seeking an answer that transcends my own prejudices to find the answer that is most plausible to experts (at least those who claim to be experts).

First of all, let's consider the obvious: (1) sexual tension almost inevitably exists between any red-blooded, heterosexual man and woman, (2) jealousy plagues many rational people when a significant other makes a close confidante of someone of the opposite sex, and (3) inherent differences between the sexes threaten close familiar friendship.

In addition, everyone understands that rules are already in place for how to act in romantic relationships (flirt, date, get married, have kids) and even same-sex friendships (boys relate by doing activities together, girls by talking and sharing). But there are so few platonic male-female friendships on display that many experts are at a loss to even define these relationships. Not much solid research exists.

Who Is Friendly?

Let's look at some demographics. According to Lee Rainey and Mary Madden (February 13, 2006) of the Pew Internet and American Life Project, "Among all singles, just 16% say they are currently looking for a romantic partner. That amounts to 7% of the adult population. Some 55% of singles report no active interest in seeking a romantic partner. This is especially true for women, for those who have been widowed or divorced, and for older singles. Yet even among the youngest adults, the zest for romance is somewhat muted: 38% of singles ages 18-29 say they are not currently looking for a romantic partner, compared to 22% in that age cohort who are looking for partners. The rest say they are in committed relationships."

So, the numbers seem to say that people of all ages seek friendship without romance. Human nature dictates politeness, civility, and friendship between the sexes, but what about the possibilities of remaining best friends with someone of the opposite sex and keeping that attraction from becoming intimate? After all, obvious reasons for allowing a person to fill the role of a best friend must exist in their appeal.

The Pew study concentrated on sexually coercive behavior, between partners, that is not premeditated but purposeful and on men’s ability to distinguish sexual interest from platonic interest. The study showed, "Men were more likely to perceive more sexual intent in a woman’s behavior but this gender difference may be attributed to a small sub-group of males at high risk for sexual coercion or men more supportive of sex-role stereotypes." (Lee Rainey and Mary Madden, February 13 2006)

Some situational factors were correlated with an increase in men’s estimates of women’s sexual intent. (C. Farris, T.A. Treat, and R.J. Viken, "Sexual Coercion and the Misperception of Sexual Intent," Clinical Psychology Review, 28, August 2008) Most literature assumes that men are prone to perceive sexual intent where it does not exist and that women’s perception of sexual intent of other women is the standard to measure interest.

 Times Change

Linda Sapadin, a psychologist in Valley Stream, New York stated, "The belief that men and women can't be friends comes from another era in which women were at home and men were in the workplace, and the only way they could get together was for romance." Sapadin explained  "Now they work together and share sports interests and socialize together." Though it may be tricky, men and women can successfully become close friends. What's more, there are good reasons for them to do so. (Camille Chatterjee, Psychology Today, September 1 2001)

But that's only one of the major barriers. Don O'Meara, Ph.D., at the University of Cincinnati-Raymond Walters College, published a landmark study in the journal Sex Roles (1989) on the top impediments to cross-sex friendship. "I started my research because one of my best friends is a woman," said O'Meara. O'Meara lists these challenges to present-day male/female friendships.

1. Defining the Relationship: Friends or Lovers?

Heidi Reeder, 2007 Idaho Professor of the Year at Boise State University, confirmed that "friendship attraction" or a connection devoid of lust, is a bona fide type of bond that people experience. But, a study in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships found, "People don't know what feelings are appropriate toward the opposite sex, unless they're what our culture defines as appropriate." What is this kind of love without intimacy and marriage? (Don O'Meara, 1989)

2. Overcoming Attraction: Let's Talk About Sex


A simple, platonic hug could instantaneously take on a more amorous meaning. "You're trying to do a friend-friend thing," said O'Meara, "but the male-female parts of you get in the way." Unwelcome or not, the attraction is difficult to ignore. Another study in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships found, "62 percent of all subjects reported that sexual tension was present in their cross-sex friendships." (Linda Sapadin, Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, Vol. 5, 1988) Gender differences in same- and cross-sex friendships remain strong, despite new career roles for women.


3. Establishing Equality: The Power Play
Women are at risk of subconsciously adopting a more submissive role in cross-sex relationships.Friendship should be a pairing of equals. But, O'Meara said, "In a culture where men have always been more equal than women, male dominance, prestige and power is baggage that both men and women are likely to bring to a relationship."

4. The Public Eye: Dealing with Doubters

Society may not be entirely ready for friendships between men and women that have no sexual subtext.This is especially true of older adults according to O'Meara.

5. The Meeting Place

Sexes are mingling more as the workplace and other social environments open to women. But, men and women continue to have few opportunities to interact. Boys and girls form gender groups early in grade school, so when they get together socially, they see each other as dating partners, not as friends. Monsour says this continues into adulthood.

If men and women are to work, play and coexist in modern society, researchers believe men and women must learn to understand and communicate with each other.

A Practical View

DeAnna Lorraine, a dating expert and life coach in San Diego, writes the following about the possibility of coexistence and communication from her practical knowledge:

"Not if one or the other is interested romantically because as humans; sexual beings, we have the temptation to cross over to the romantic side. It’s like having a sizzling steak put right  in front of you. You may not 'need' it, but you might take a bite just because it’s right in front of you, and it’s human nature to be take action on those urges—just like when a romantic prospect is right in front of you. I’m all for platonic friendships, if you can make it work. The truth is: even though a lot of women may end up having feelings for their male friends, they are usually the ones who don’make the first move. It’s the men that will act on it and risk the friendship."
(www.theproblemismen.com)

Love, Care, and Attraction: A Difference In Meaning For Both Sexes

Ani Ram (blogcritics.org, March 23, 2009) believes that to be friends, a man and a woman would need to share genuine love and care for each other without any feelings of attraction. Ram contends, " Love and care happen to be two of the three most important components of a relationship (the third being attraction). It's so easy to fall for a friend when you already have most of the feelings towards that person that you would for a boyfriend or girlfriend. All that's missing is attraction. Attraction, however, is much more important for men than it is for women."

Ram believes that for men, attraction is something they either do or do not feel from the start, and it manifests itself in the desire for sex. Because a man's desire for sex is so strong, it’s not difficult for him to feel attracted to a number of women. The third most important component of a relationship is attraction. What about the first and the second - love and care? The man grows to love and care for the woman for whom he feels a lot of attraction.

But, Ram says for women, attraction is something that builds over time. It builds much faster when they already have strong feelings of love and care for someone. For example, a woman might meet someone to whom she is immediately attracted, but a relationship will never build from there because she might feel completely incompatible and incapable of loving that person. Ram believes attraction is not enough for a woman.

So finally, according to Ram, in a situation where a man and a woman are friends, the woman becomes more and more attracted to the man because of her feelings of love and care towards that man. The more her feelings of attraction grow, the more she feels for her friend. At the same time, the man is already feeling a strong desire for sex.

And One Left Field View From a Blog Comment

"I’ve never had problems getting girlfriends, mainly because I’ve never been a woman’s best friend first. Anyone who is best friends with a woman and then wants the relationship to turn romantic is in left field looking at right.
My rule of thumb is if a woman physically attracts you do not try to be her best friend first because that’s all she’s going to think of you as, her best friend or more specifically, “her gay best friend”, which I do not mean as an insult to Gays. She simply won’t think of you as a man... with a sex drive for women."  Anonymous

"Can I Keep the Light On?"

 Phobias

Specific phobias affect an estimated 19.2 million adult Americans and are twice as common in women as men.
(National Institute of Mental Health, July 7 2009) "Phobias are the most common mental disorder," says R. Reid Wilson, PhD, spokesman for the American Psychological Association. "Over their lifetimes, 11% of people will have a phobia." Most of these go mistreated.

Phobias occur when fears become unreasonable. Everyone needs fears to help keep them safe. For example, a fear of heights is a good thing as it keeps people away from the edge of a cliff. If the fear of heights stops someone from going above the third floor when is is a phobia. A phobia is unneeded, unhelpful, and disabling to life.

Fear of Darkness

It is human nature to be afraid of the dark. All people have experienced fear in the darkness. Most have felt symptoms of fear such as air hunger, heart palpitations, chest pains, smothering sensations, trembling, shaking, or sweating in the eerie blackness. And, typically, most people retain a bit of a fear of the dark throughout life.

Lisa Fritscher writes, "This fear may be evolutionary in nature, as many predators hunt at night. Consequently, darkness is a frequently used element in horror movies and Halloween events." (About.com, August 11 2008)

Fear of the dark is a phase of child development. (Adele Pillitteri, "Maternal and Child Health Nursing," 2006) Fear of the dark is not fear of the absence of light, but fear of possible or imagined dangers concealed by the darkness. (William Lyons, "Emotion," 1985) Humans cannot see in pitch darkness, so they are left to their imagination as to what is lurking in the darkness, often to a terrifying effect. Aristotle contended that humans are "rational animals." As an extension of this idea, he contended it is in their nature to fear what they do not know, as well as in their innate desires to discover and learn what is out there.

 Nyctophobia

But what about people who retain an intense fear of darkness throughout life? This limiting, disabling disease is called nyctophobia. It is triggered by the mind's disfigured perception of what or could happen when in a dark environment. Nyctophobia patients are horribly frightened by thoughts of darkness and assume a much quicker response to darkness than do most people.

Severe nyctophobia is a psychologically-impacted feeling of being disposed from comfort to a fear-evoking state. Like many other phobias, nyctophobia causes a mental derangement leading to one’s inability to cope with things during night times. Anticipation of darkness for nyctophobic patients may affect their entire day.

Nyctophobia is a phobia generally related to children but, according to J. Adrian Williams’ article titled, "Indirect Hypnotic Therapy of Nyctophobia: A Case Report," many clinics with pediatric patients have a great chance of having adults who have nyctophobia. The same article states that “the phobia has been known to be extremely disruptive to adult patients and… incapacitating.” (William L. Mikulas, "Behavioral Bibliotherapy and Games for Treating Fear of the Dark," Family Behavior Therapy, 1985)

At present, the lack of analytical and interpretive studies on nyctophobia allows only a limited understanding of the condition. There is little known information about the pathological background and emotional aspects of nyctophobia. There have been few tests and experimentations; although, the few credible experiments have put some light on what nyctophobia really is: Nyctophobia is a dangerous disease.

Nyctophobics experience various neurological or psychological side effects. Depression is a possible side-effect for someone with the disease. A person with a very severe case of nyctophobia could experience continual thoughts to commit suicide and is prone to have other desires likely to result in personal injury.

Causes of Nyctophobia

Tammy Duffey (healthmad.com, January 11 2009) writes of the causes of nyctophobia, "All phobias are the result of an actual real-life trauma. Thereafter, that traumatic experience is consistently and automatically associated with darkness." Studies of nyctophobia suggest that the condition tends to emerge around the age of two, supporting the idea that fear of darkness is not necessarily innate in humans.

Sigmund Freud considered severe fear of the dark as separation anxiety in which an individual experiences excessive anxiety regarding separation from home or from people to whom the individual has a strong emotional attachment (like a father and mother).

A variety of things can trigger nyctophobia, ranging from frequent, terrifying nightmares which seem even more traumatizing when the victim wakes up in darkness to child neglect. While many children are afraid of the dark (and monsters under the bed), a child with nyctophobia manifests intense fear which lives on until adulthood. (www.wisegeek.com)

Television shows and movies are two of the known factors that cause children to develop a fear of darkness. Telling scary stories or urban myths, especially while in the dark, is one other factor that may cause children to develop the phobia. Perhaps the nyctophobic person experienced some terrible abuse as a child and has associated that with darkness. 

Adult patients who developed the phobia in childhood may suffer from any retrospective reference or mental-recall of past events in the dark. Adult nyctophobia is usually an indication the patient had not faced the fear early on and continues to associate the dark with bad experiences in their past.

Virtual Reality To the Rescue?

The treatment that was most common in the past was called systematic desensitization."Virtual reality is the other newer treatment being used for phobias," says R. Reid Wilson, PhD, spokesman for the American Psychological Association. "It's three to four years away from being used on a broad basis because the equipment is so expensive to use, but there are four or five places in the U.S. that are using it today." (Heather Hatfield, WebMD)

Nyctophobia


The sun has set to end the day,
Chimera monsters come to play.
Broken door sings songs of taunt,
While rumination starts to haunt
As footsteps get louder, heart rate increases,
All sense of security is shattered to pieces.
Ears plugged shut, and closed eyes tightened;
Praying not to be so frightened.
Hum a tune that's comforting,
And act like nothing's happening.
Bite a lip and wish them away,
Anxiously awaiting the suns first ray.
Is it the darkness that kids are afraid of?
Or is it what they believe darkness is made of?  --Scotophil (Quizilla)

Women Love Bad Boys and Vampires

 It's almost Halloween, so I thought a holiday theme might be prime for exploration. John DeVore ("The Frisky," CNN, October 27 2009) explains why women like the vampire genre in books and television series such as True Blood. According to DeVore, a vampire is a monster who looks, acts and talks like a passionate, romantic, and tortured man. This character is synonymous to "playing with fire" for a woman, the very prototype of the bad boy.

DeVore says, "Women love bad boys - they're exciting, and the chance to change him, to break him like a horse, must be an irresistible challenge. If self-destruction weren't seductive on some superficial level, then no one would ever need rehab."

Of course, this whole concept of women falling for bad boys (or vampires, for that matter) is completely illogical to countless millions of men who are great catches or who take the traditional courtship approach to dating. "They don't understand how women keep falling for these guys." (Rion Williams, www.articlealley.com, January 3 2007)

 To a man, society basically promotes the traditional edification of the woman; chasing her, putting her before himself and essentially on a pedestal. She's the prize to catch, but all of this gives her the power and favor in the relationship, which isn't exactly natural. Nonetheless, such is the social conditioning presented to a gentleman. He is taught this behavior and expected to conform with this "lady-first" behavior when dating.

The paradox of actions and reactions is rooted in flawed social dynamics. Williams contends that everything around a woman logically tells her one thing; to GO for the really 'nice guy' who brings her presents and has a lot to offer.This idea is supported in music and movies as a social ideal. But, often the woman finds her heart is not committed to these relationships. In other words, logic gives way to other basic considerations. Ideals break down.

Nice guys usually come on strong for a long-term relationship. Women, on the other hand, often want to get to know a guy instead of being pressured into a marriage-type relationship with him before knowing him. "So what is left for a woman's physical freedom? The (now-glorified) outcasts. The bad boys, jerks, a-holes, etc. who didn't care about mainstream social programming, therefore weren't affected by it like the mainstream men." (Rion Williams, www.articlealley.com, January 3 2007)

The bad boys and jerks are living in their own reality. They're not subject to the doctrine of mainstream society so they don't let that get in the way of just being natural, even if a great deal of their natural behavior is bad.They have strayed from the straight-and-narrow and have developed their own code of conduct and interesting behaviors.

Bad boys are confident and self assured. They know what they're about and don't really care what others think. (www.topdatingtips.com) Any faults they have are summarized by women as follows: "It's not his fault; he's trying to get his life together." And this is most often followed by the excuse for staying: "He needs me." (Toni Coleman, www.marriageandwealth.com)

Also, to women, bad boys are a challenge. Women may love a challenge even more than men. They think in this manner: "If something is a challenge, the end results must surely be worthwhile, right?" (www.topdatingtips.com) Bad boys often create an exciting roller coaster ride in relationships. Women hang on for the thrill and greater expectations.

A bad boy's confidence reflects like a shining armor to females; this bravado turns women on. The bad boys are more assured and hold a high self-esteem which makes them believe in their exploits. Appearance, in particular, matters. And here bad guys fit the bill inherently. On woman writes, "Their masculinity goes perfect with their confidence and indifferent attitude, which women find irresistible.Their ‘leave it or take it’ attitude appeals to us (women) all the more that’s why women often prefer bad boys." (men.relationships.blog-city.com)

The issue of overwhelming masculine appearance also influences sex according to a study by the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health in 2007 as it contributes to the belief that bad boys offer great sex in short-term relationships. (www.theproblemismen.com, October 7 2008 ) Note, in the long term, bad boys do not perform that well.

Women are attracted to a man by their own natural and biological character, not by social conditioning.

Good men can learn give women what they want; a real man, not the jellyfish-backboned manboy who caters to her every whim and desire. Williams contends that the shift hasn't happened yet on a mass scale, but when more men start stepping up, women will then be able to prefer these guys over the outcasts.

If good men can increase their confidence levels, get their careers on the right tracks, excel in what they do and be their "own man" within the confines of their working life, then good guys can get that bad boy confidence. And that attitude boosts their attractiveness to women.

Carole Lieberman, M.D. and clinical psychiatrist says,“The main reason women are attracted to bad boys is because of the relationship they had with their fathers, when they were little girls, that made them feel unlovable, not good enough to attract a prince. So they end up kissing a lot of frogs. Other issues play a part, but the main fundamental, underlying, most important issue is their relationship with their dads.” (Bad Boys: How We Love Them, How t Live with Them, When to Leave Them, 1997)

Some Strange News Stories

I think it's time to scan the news for some unbelievable stories in the news. Some of these are shocking and some are just plum goofy. I've included the brief story in each piece of news. More detailed accounts are available courtesy of the Net. What in the world is happening? Here's a ticket to the zany news. Laugh, cry, or question.

Current Stories

Fox News (October 27, 2009) reports that as many as a dozen people may have witnessed the brutal gang rape and beating of a 15-year-old girl after her California high school homecoming dance. The attack took place in a dimly lit corner of the campus. Two suspects are in custody, but as many as five other men attacked the girl over a two-hour period. The district defended school security, saying that when the students leave the dance, "we don't take them home."

The Associated Press (October 27, 2009) reports twelve New Jersey women have posed nude for a calendar to raise awareness about prostate cancer. Proceeds from the calendar will go to the Prostate Cancer Coalition of New Jersey. Sheila Rosko of Blairstown got the idea from the 2003 movie, "Calendar Girls." A group of women in England posed nude for a calendar to raise money for research after a friend's husband died from leukemia.
Rosko's husband was diagnosed with prostate cancer 13 years ago.


ABC News reports (October 27, 2009) that the infamous "Boy Balloon" Heene family of Colorado has yet to be charged with a crime. Prosecutors said they haven't decided whether to file charges against the parents accused of falsely reporting their son was in a runaway balloon, sparking a massive rescue attempt before the boy was found at the family's Fort Collins home.

The Associated Press (October 27, 2009) reveals that former teacher, Debra LaFave, who had sex with a 14-year-old student wants to be allowed supervised contact with the children of her relatives and friends.LaFave is serving seven years probation, and one of the conditions is a ban on contact with children. Lafave served more than

2 1/2 years of house arrest before being freed last year. She pleaded guilty in 2006 to two counts of lewd and lascivious battery for having sex with the boy in a classroom and her home.

From WBAL TV in Baltimore (October 27, 2009) comes word that a Baltimore city police officer was charged with assault after the pulled a gun on a haunted house character. Baltimore County police said Sgt. Eric Janik, 36, pulled his gun on a haunted house employee dressed up as the killer from "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" at the House of Screams show. Police said the employee approached Janik after the haunted house tour was over in a bid to get "one last scream." Instead, Janik, who was off-duty, pulled his service weapon and pointed it at Michael Morrison's chest, authorities said.


MSNBC (October 27, 2009) confirms that Denver police arrested an elementary school employee accused of taping a student's mouth and hands. Police say 45-year-old school secretary Jennifer Carter was being held for investigation of child abuse and false imprisonment, both misdemeanors. The six-year-old said he was sent to the principal's office on Wednesday when a substitute teacher said he had been disrupting his first grade class."Carter said 'he was driving her crazy' so she decided to tape his wrists together and tape his mouth closed," said the boy's mother. A jail official said a bond amount had not yet been set. Carter was put on leave following the alleged incident.

An Associate Press story from the San Francisco Chronicle (October 27, 2009) states that a motorist driving past a fender-bender struck three men standing on the side of a highway and drove more than a mile with one of them lodged in his windshield, police said. Christopher Swiridowsky, 30, of Providence, Rhode Island, was charged with leaving the scene of an accident. The man suffers with broken legs and a broken arm while Swiridowsky is now charged with striking him and the two other people was ordered held without bail.

A San Francisco Chronicle story (October 22, 2009) says a Minnesota man has pleaded guilty to driving his motorized La-Z-Boy chair while drunk. A criminal complaint says 62-year-old Dennis LeRoy Anderson told police he left a bar in the northern Minnesota town of Proctor on his chair after drinking eight or nine beers. Prosecutors say Anderson's blood alcohol content was 0.29, more than three times the legal limit, when he crashed into a parked vehicle in August 2008. He was not seriously injured.Police said the chair was powered by a converted lawnmower and had a stereo and cup holders.

From Reuters (October 20, 2009) comes news that a pile of hair believed snipped from Elvis Presley when he joined the U.S. Army in 1958 sold for $18,300 according to a Chicago auction house. No DNA test was carried out on the hair but the auctioneer quoted "an expert in celebrity hair authentication," John Reznikoff, saying it matched the Elvis hair he has in his collection.

A Couple of "Oldies But Goodies"

The Stamford Advocate (July 26, 2005) reports firefighters in Stamford, Conn., had to break a car window, against the owner's wishes, to rescue her 23-month-old son, whom she had accidentally locked inside along with the key. According to police reports and a 911 tape, the kid had been sweltering for more than 20 minutes on an 88-degree July day when Susan Guita Silverstein, 42 (who was later charged with reckless endangerment), asked firefighters to wait until she went home to get a spare key so they wouldn't have to damage her Audi A4.

The Dallas Morning News (2003) says Charles D. McKinley, 25, of Brooklyn, N.Y., had four weeks of vacation coming, so he decided to visit his parents in DeSoto, Texas. Rather than buy a plane ticket for $320, McKinley, a shipping clerk, packed himself into a shipping crate and air-expressed himself home, charging the fees to his employer. When the crate was delivered to his parents' front step, McKinley pushed out of the box and shook hands with the "shaken and frightened" delivery driver.

Do You Believe "Age Is Just a State of Mind"

I am a stout realist about most of the transactions in life. I am pretty sure whoever said "Age is just a state of mind" was speaking with tongue-in-cheek false optimism. As I age, I miss my youth and the opportunities this youth presented to my younger being. Aging causes the body and mind to fail with regularity. And sadly, reliance on consistency of one's state of mind becomes fickle as reactions to an accumulation of little annoyances seem to matter more.

Hell, face it: getting older requires constant adjustment and imminent self compromise. I find myself cornered in the constricting room of time. I am not talking about age as a total detriment or a supreme handicap, but I am saying that a complex process like aging cannot be summed up in an offhand comment like "just a state of mind."

I feel it's very important to relate that desires and passions fiercely resist the pressures of aging. Still, experience teaches that age presents changes in emotions. With thoughtful restraint and limited exuberance, maturity mandates diminishing passionate returns  While anticipation slows as routine grows, fervor becomes more of a memory than a mode of peak operation. Repeatedly conditioned to behave and marred by irrational, quick, past decisions, the older person finds that spontaneity suffers greatly. Desires and passions begin to take their proper shelf space in the storeroom of an aging memory.

Imagine the changes required to fulfill the different roles of people's relationships: for example, friend to spouse to father to grandfather. Each role requires considerable changes in responsibility, outlook, and behavior. Yet, many find themselves prematurely fulfilling their parts without proper development and experience due to circumstances beyond their control, and these people rely on trial and error although they desire and expect perfection in maturation. Such fate-related timing is anything but optimal for the smoothest transition of aging.

Of course, definite physical changes occur during the aging process. These changes can begin as gentle reminders of deterioration, or the changes can quickly fragment a healthy life. As people age, they slowly develop a keener understanding of their physical limitations brought about by age. To ignore these constraints often leads to disastrous outcomes. The psychological effects of coming to grips not only with lines and wrinkles but also with
limited mobility and dulled thinking are often worse than the toll on the body. The vicious teeth of monstrous age can rip strong wills and positive self-concepts with little immunity.

The aging process also transforms once vogue, societal individuals into dated, introspective souls. Those people who do attempt to keep fashionable are often scorned by others as narcissistic, egocentric fools humiliating themselves by drinking from a fountain of youth in their fanciful associations.

Because many other older people embrace the worn ideals of their own youth, young onlookers see them as stagnant relics of the past.Getting older presents people a choice of two oddities -- (1) playing the foolish hipster, or (2) accepting the mantle of dowdy geezer. Most older beings never receive the complimentary title of "keeper of wisdom" as a respected elder.

Many people never really consider getting old until their first signs of aging appear. Until then, they often distance themselves from such thoughts through avoidance or internal categorization. Age does not rub off and is not a
contagious condition -- generation gaps beg for bridges. Avoidance is usually only followed by increased apprehension upon discovery. And, people who insist upon categorizing their older selves as "young" are attempting to cheat fate by some voodoo thought process.

Clint Eastwood once said, "If you take yourself seriously you're not going to be able to move forward and use your best artistic instincts. You're going to be hampered by always wanting to look in the mirror and see if you have enough tuna oil on your hair or something like that." (Andrew Zuckerman, Wisdom, 2008) Eastwood may strike a chord for those intent on taking the reality of aging as simple fantasy.

At 58, I'm not ready to make statements about the wisdom of aging. I look at aging this way. In my youth, I owned a '65 Mustang convertible with an 8-track player featuring songs by the Doors, CCR, and the Beatles among others. The 289 hypo V-eight engine made the sports car fast and fun to drive. By today's standards, the Mustang was simply engineered. Yet, by today's standards, the car is still a classic, much like the music accompanying the sound of the shifting gears.

I still drive that Mustang nearly every day. I pick up friends, enjoy our antics, and look for new, unknown roads to travel. For whatever reason, I keep the machine immaculately clean and running smoothly. The car has aged but, somehow, shows no wear. The only change is the status - now, it is a magic carpet running on fantastic desire. I still drive the Mustang, only today, my driving is done with my eyes closed and the car is probably scrap.

"To know how to grow old is the master-work of wisdom, and one of the most difficult chapters in the great art of living."  ~Henri Amiel

China "The Times They Are a Changin'"

 

Rise of a New China

After a 200-year hiatus -- since the Qing Dynasty began to weaken, in the early nineteenth century -- China is returning to the world stage as a great power. "That may be usual for China, but it is unusual for the West, given that the last period of Chinese greatness occurred when countries were far more isolated than they are today." (Robert D. Kaplan, The Atlantic Online, August 1999)

David Miliband described China as the 21st century's "indispensable power" with a decisive say on the future of the global economy, climate change, and world trade.The foreign secretary predicted that over the next few decades China would become one of the two "powers that count," along with the US, and Europe could emerge as a third only if it learned to speak with one voice. (Julian Borger, guardian.co.uk, May 17 2009)

Since America ushered China into the World Trade Organization in 2002, Beijing’s growth rate has been four times that of the United States, accelerating from an average 10 percent of gross domestic product to 12 percent in 2007.

According to Patrick J. Buchanan, "With her immense trade surpluses, China’s reserves have surged from $200 billion in 2002 to $2 trillion. Awash in dollars, Beijing now waits patiently, writes McMillion, to cherry-pick the crown jewels of America’s industrial empire—“patents, talents, natural resources, brands”—at fire-sale prices in the global crash." (CNSNews.com, November 11 2008)

Beijing began its amazing rise by devaluing its currency 45 percent in 1994, slashing the prices of exports in half and making imports twice as expensive. America threw open her market and invited China to come in and capture it, and China had erected a Great Wall around her own, adopting and pursuing a China First policy of economic nationalism.

China and Current Powers



Here is some information courtesy of James Kurth "Pillars of the Next American Century." (www.the-american
interest.com, November- December 2009)


1.  "Although the United States remains the largest manufacturing economy in the world, China is projected to overtake it by 2015 or so. And China, of course, is the largest and often most competitive producer in such basic sectors as steel, shipbuilding and consumer goods. 

2. "China’s industrial superiority, and the export earnings it brings, has translated into financial strength. At $2 trillion, China’s reserves of foreign currencies—especially the U.S. dollar—now exceed those of any other country.

3. "The Chinese government’s response to the current global economic crisis is remarkably similar to President Franklin Roosevelt’s response to the Great Depression. Like FDR’s New Deal, the Chinese version centers on large-scale spending on big infrastructure projects like highways, railroads, bridges, dams, rural electrification and public buildings." (www.the-american-interest.com, November- December 2009)

So, if China’s present trends and economic policies continue, it will likely leave the current global economic crisis with its economy more developed and diverse than it was when the crisis began. But, if America’s own present trends and economic policies continue, the United States will make its exit from the crisis with its economy more distorted and debilitated than it was before. 

How Can America Maintain Its Leadership?


Therefore, many experts believe that a prime objective of the U.S. government must be to maintain and even enhance America’s technological superiority, particularly with respect to developing new economic sectors that will be leaders in global markets. New "green" energy sources and uses, new biotechnology-based products and processes, and new medical and health treatments are the most obvious candidates. (www.the-american-interest.com, November- December 2009)


The real issue in economic development is not the simple move from manufacturing to services, but rather the more complex move from older, static sectors that are no longer capable of generating export earnings to newer, dynamic sectors that can. Some of them might have industrial features, such as the new products of the renewable-energy and biotechnology sectors; some might have service features, such as new processes in the medical field.The second point is that the foundation of China-U.S. economic cooperation and trade remains strong.

The Chinese are confident about a bright future for China-U.S. economic cooperation and trade.Top Chinese legislator Bangguo Wu, Chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, cited these points during a forum in Phoenix.The first point is that the fact that the Chinese and American economies are mutually complementary has not changed. The second point is that the foundation of China-U.S. economic cooperation and trade remains strong. And third, the economic restructuring strategies of China and the United States will open up new areas of cooperation. (english.sina.com/china, September 9 2009)

According to Brent Scowcroft, Co-Chair, Committee on Science, Security and Prosperity, in an address to the U.S. House Of Representatives, "Advances in science and technology now occur throughout Europe, in Russia and Japan, and also in the developing economies of China, India and Brazil. Thus the number of access points to advanced science and technology have grown considerably and perhaps more to the point, outside the control of the United States. (The National Academies, "For Congress," February 25 2009)

Many scholars believe to maintain and enhance U.S. technological superiority entails encouraging and enabling the traditional bases: the university system, with its numerous scientists and engineers; the free-market system, with its numerous innovators and entrepreneurs; and the education system for the general population (obviously in great need of improvement). (www.the-american-interest.com, November- December 2009)

Another pillar of maintaining the prominent role of the United States is to re-create a successful American way of war for current circumstances. The country should normally seek to solve its problems without resorting to using the regular U.S. military for any counterinsurgency operations at all. Rather, the primary focus of the U.S. military should be on deterring war and, if war comes, defeating the military forces of other great powers in all forms of 21st-century warfare. The reason we are now attacked only at sub-conventional levels is not that no motive can exist for attacks against us at other levels; it is because no one dares. (www.the-american-interest.com, November- December 2009)

Finally, the United States has to learn again how to act like a world leader again. For almost two decades, U.S. political leaders have often acted toward other nations, and particularly toward other great powers, in a way guaranteed to provoke their annoyance and disdain, and even their anger and contempt.  

With talk from American political commentators centered on “soft power” and the attractiveness of American popular culture to the rest of the world, it is usually forgotten that this popular culture is chiefly popular with the young—particularly those young who are still irresponsible, rebellious and reckless. It does not often attract the mature, particularly those mature enough to be the leaders of their families, communities or countries who are responsible for their security and prosperity. (Margaret H. and Melvin L. DeFleu, Global Beat Syndicate, New York University, 2002)

In short, American popular culture is a culture for adolescents, not for adults, and adults around the world know and act upon this truth. If American leaders want to lead the leaders of other countries, they will have to act like mature adults, not like the attention-seeking celebrities of American popular culture.  This requires us to pay some attention to both the cultural style of American leadership and the power context in which it is exercised. (www.the-american-interest.com, November- December 2009)

Other countries learn of American Idealism. U.S. political leaders in turn really believe that American ideals should be promoted for their own sake, for their “universal validity," rather than as a legitimation or cover for U.S. interests.Leaders of other countries often cannot really believe that U.S. political leaders think that American ideals should be promoted for their own sake, for their “universal validity," rather than as a legitimation or cover for U.S. interests. If American leaders want to impress such leaders of other countries, they will have to act in the style of realists, and not in the style of idealists.  
  

"Americans should be forced to see how ridiculous they appear to the rest of the world! They should listen to someone else's version of themselves--to anyone else's version. Every country knows more about America than Americans know about themselves! And Americans know absolutely nothing about any other country."   -- John Irving from A Prayer for Owen Meany

Shanghai World Financial Tower View

 

 

Are We Stardust?

The source of human life, its connections and origins, is an ongoing study of controversy. Regardless of the theory, creationism or evolution, the composition of the elements of the body are generally accepted. Science and religion create intense curiosity and beg much further investigation. Understanding the universe and humanity's place in it has always been a primary focus of human inquiry since the time of the caveman. 

Here is one of American astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson's (Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan) top ten favorite facts about the universe:

"There are more molecules of water in a cup of water than cups of water in all the world's oceans. This means that some molecules in every cup of water you drink passed through the kidneys of Genghis Khan, Napoleon, Abe Lincoln or any other historical person of your choosing. Same goes for air: There are more molecules of air in a single breath of air than there are breaths of air in Earth's entire atmosphere. Therefore, some molecules of air you inhale passed through the lungs of Billy the Kid, Joan of Arc, Beethoven, Socrates or any other historical person of your choosing." (Washington Post, December 16 2007)

Quite an amazing conception? Tyson also relates that with chemical elements forged over 14 billion years in the fires of high-mass stars that exploded into space, and with these elements enriching subsequent generations of stars with carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and other basic ingredients of life itself, we are not just figuratively but literally made of stardust. (Washington Post, December 16 2007)

Since the elements were formed in the interior of stars, we often call this "star dust". NAI Senior Scientist David Morrison states, "The Earth and everything on it, including the oceans, atmosphere, and life itself, are composed largely of material that was once stardust, and later incorporated into the solar system as it formed." (May 8 2006)
 
And, incredibly, Richard Grant of Nature Network ("We Are Stardust," October 17 2008), contends these atoms were made in stars back at the beginning of the Universe, billions of years ago. And when another star dies -- or goes "nova" -- these new atoms are spread into space and form part of new stars, and planets, and people: all made from bits of old stars.

Literally, then how much of a person is stardust? The statement that we are all "star stuff" was coined by the late astronomer Carl Sagan. Scientists have established that every element in the periodic table aside from hydrogen is essentially stardust, so to determine how much of the body is made up of stardust, they have to know how many hydrogen atoms are in the body, then they can say that the rest is stardust. It turns out that after calculations, the scientists conclude that 93% of the mass in the body is stardust, forged in the fiery belly of a star what lived and died before the Sun was born. (www.physicscentral.com, 2009)

Add to this another wondrous thought. It seems that diamonds are found in huge numbers in some meteorites. Now, American astronomers believe these diamonds were formed in supernova explosions. First isolated in meteorites in 1987 by Edward Anders of the University of Chicago, tiny diamonds (so miniscule that trillions could fit on the head of a pin) have been researched. Some scientists believe they have found evidence that the colossal cloud of dust thought to be thrown up into the atmosphere in the wake of a meteorite's impact may spread newly formed diamond dust all around the world. (New Scientist, February 8 1992)

Perhaps all humans contain a little of this diamond stardust. Stare into the skies on a clear, star-filled night and feel the immediate connection and awesome wonder. As an infinite extension of our own being, the Universe seems to cradle us in a mysterious, but secure, divine scheme -- diamonds and stardust together awaiting heavenly transformation. 

"Humans are genetically connected with life on Earth, chemically connected with life on other star systems and atomically connected with all matter in the universe."  -- Neil deGrasse Tyson

 




 

Dogs And Origins

Dogs, people's best friends, have an interesting and controversial history. Some research defends the theory that all dogs descended from an animal called Tomarctus that lived approximately 15 million years ago and thought to be used by Stone-aged people to help them track game. As far as dog breeds, the Saluki, with ancient Egyptian hunting roots, is believed to be the oldest breed that developed about eight thousand years ago.

Origin Before DNA

Prior to the use of DNA, most researchers were divided into two schools of thought concerning the origin of the dog:

1. most supposed that these early dogs were descendants of tamed wolves, which interbred and evolved into a domesticated species.
2. other scientists, while believing wolves were the chief contributor, suspected that jackals or coyotes contributed to the dog's ancestry. ("Origin of the Domestic Dog," en.wikipedia.org)

Some paleontologists and archaeologists determined that Miacis, a weasel-like animal, is the ancestor of the canids (biological family that includes dogs) as well as other families such as bears, raccoons, civets, hyenas and cats. From Miacis evolved Cynodictis, a dog-like animal in Euroasia and Asia from which later evolved the "in-between dog," the link between this species to the dog. ( Paleobiology Database: Cynodictis, Age Range and Collections) 

Grey Wolf

Origin Since DNA


Most scientists now agree that dogs are descended from Canis Lupus, the Grey Wolf. Dr. Robert K. Wayne, canid biologist and molecular geneticist, through DNA research, has shown that dogs had this close relationship with the Grey Wolf. The authors of the Mammal Species of the World, internationally accepted reference source on mammal species, reclassified the dog in 1993 from Canis Familiaris to Canis Lupus. (http://www.dog-names.org.uk/history-evolution-dogs.htm)
 
Now, even more modern means are being used to trace the dog's origins. The history has been studied recently using mitochondrial DNA, and seems to suggest that wolves and dogs split into different species around 100,000 years ago. (K. Kris Hirst, "How Were Dogs Domesticated?" About.com)


But did humans have anything to do with that split? Although no one really knows. Wolf and man were both pack hunters and their paths would have regularly crossed. They would have hunted and eaten each other. 

Some researchers do believe humans played a part. Research exists that contends dogs were domesticated in the following ways:

1. Wolves were adopted as orphaned pups. (Temple Grandin and Catherine Johnson, Animals in Transition, 2005) 
2. Wolves, as scavengers, were attracted to the bones and refuse dumps of campsites. (Dr. Raymond Coppinger, Human Stars and "The Animal Attraction," 2001) 
3. Wolves were used for beasts of burden. (nationalgeographic.com, 2002)

4. Wolves were used as a source of food and fur. (Mark Derr, Dog's Best Friend, 2004)  
5. Wolves were used during the human hunt. (www.animalfreedom.org/english)
6. Wolves were used for keeping flocks together.
7. Wolves were used to warn against approaching enemies.


The recent mtDNA analysis suggests that the origin and location of dog domestication, long thought to be in east Asia, is in some doubt. (Boyko, Adam R., et al., Complex Population Structure in African Village Dogs and Its Implications for Inferring Dog Domestication History,

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2009)

The Goyet Cave, Belgium, has yielded the oldest dog skull to date. Direct-dated by AMS radiocarbon at 31,700 BP, ("years before the present"), the skull most closely represents prehistoric dogs, rather than wolves. Chauvet Cave (26,000 BP) and Mezhirich (15,000 BP) sites in the Ukraine have also given scientists skulls.

The Goyet Cave skull represents not a "domesticated dog" but rather a wolf in transition to a dog. Certain physical changes seen in the skulls (consisting primarily of the shortening of the snout) may have been driven by changes in diet, rather than by specific selection of traits by humans. "That transition in diet could well have been partly due to the beginnings of a relationship between humans and dogs, although the relationship might have been as tenuous as animals following human hunters to scavenge, rather like the behavior that is believed to have existed between humans and cats." (K. Kris Hirst, "How Were Dogs Domesticated?" About.com) After all, have cats ever really been domesticated, or do they merely take advantage of the mice humans attract?

Ein Mallaha

Fossil Evidence of Human and Dog Relationship

At the site of one of the earliest human settlements, Ein Mallaha in northern Israel, scientists found the first fossil evidence (12,000 years old) of an unlikely alliance. The fossil is that of a human and dog or wolf pup buried together in an intimate embrace. (Jonica Newby, "The Animal Attraction," Australian Broadcasting System, 2001)

Dogs In Recorded Human History


Spiritually speaking, the dog to the ancient civilizations was most frequently associated with death and the afterlife. (www.dogquotes.com) After all, he was a known scavenger. The Old Testament scorns the dog for returning to it's vomit. In Greek mythology Cerberus, a three headed dog, guarded Hades. The Maya also associated their dog with death in the form of Nahua Xolotl, or Pek, the dog of lightning who heralded the coming of death. Perhaps, it was the hunting habits of the dog, the sight of the pack tearing its prey to shreds as opposed to the "clean" kill of the great cats or birds of prey.

The dog was generally considered an unclean animal. Both the Hebrew and Moslem cultures forbid eating an animal that had been "torn by dogs", and no doubt, the threat of rabies made this a wise practice. (The Moslems made exception for the Saluki , as it was considered a Gift of Allah.)

During the reign of the early Greek, and later, the Roman Empire, the status of dogs began to change. The dog was kept not only as a hunter, herder, and guardian, but also as a beloved pet. Dogs began to appear in sculpture, and had their portraits painted.

Their fidelity was noted and rewarded is evidenced both by the story of Odysses' hound Argus, and by the real dog "Delta". Unearthed at Pompeii were the remains of a dog stretched out beside a child. The dog, "Delta," wore a silver collar which told that it belonged to Severinus, whose life he had saved three times: once from drowning, once from robbers, and once from an angry wolf. Pompeii was destroyed by an eruption from Vesuvius in 79 A.D. (www.sheppardsoftware.com)

Irish Wolfhound

However, not all dogs were so highly valued. Ever on the lookout for something new to present at the Colossium, the Romans collected animals (including dogs) from all corners of the known world. In A.D. 391,Quintus Aurelis Symmachus, the Roman consul, wrote thanking his brother for the seven hounds (Irish Wolfhounds) saying that "All Rome viewed them with wonder". The Romans were also very much impressed with the quality of British hounds and mastiffs, as fighting dogs against a wide variety of lions, leopards, gladiators, slaves, and even elephants. ("History of the Irish Wolfhound," www.irishwolfhounds.org/history and H. Boycott Oddy, "Country Life," May 15, 1909) 

In the Far East, what kind of a life a dog lead depended wholly on it's breed. The dog could find itself employed as a hunter (the noble Chow Chow), fighter (the Chinese Shar Pei), or as the main course at dinner.

In Europe, the Middle Ages saw the purebred dog become the prized possession of kings, noblemen, and surprisingly, church officials as a new use was developed for the dog when hunting for sport became popular. The Bloodhound, who takes his name from "Blooded Hound," or purebred, traces back to the St. Hubert hounds of the seventh century A.D., when most noblemen kept their own pack of hounds. (www.dogquotes.com)