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Claudia Kawczynska
Claudia Kawczynska is The Bark's co-founder and Editor-in-Chief.
News: Editors
With Dogs Galore + Hilary Swank, Jane Lynch and many more stars
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November 26 2014
There is a must-watch TV telethon on Thanksgiving night for all dog lovers. We urge you to tune into the history-making Fox's Cause for Paws: An All-Star Dog Spectacular, a first-of-its kind program that features rescue dogs, and only rescue dogs. The show came out of the remarkable efforts of co-producers, Hilary Swank and Michael Levitt, both of whom are big-time advocates for dog rescue/adoption. The show will be cohosted by Hilary Swank and Jane Lynch, and feature a cast of leading Hollywood celebrities, including Channing Tatum, Miley Cyrus, Queen Latifah, Betty White, and so many more.
The idea behind the program is the need to bring the plight of rescue dogs to center stage. It's amazing, but sadly true, that many Americans still do not understand that millions of dogs are needlessly killed annually in this country, or that others are languishing in overcrowded shelters waiting, and waiting for their forever homes. This program wants to convince people that dogs must be saved and that the perfect dog is waiting for you at your local rescue group or area shelter. From purebreds to one-of-a-kind mixed breeds, there is a rescue dog there for you and your family.
The show will also be a celebration of the human-dog connection and, as Hilary explained, "it will be a joyful family show with a lot of fun and lots of dogs, with best tricks, best howlers, celebrity lookalikes, best viral dog video, plus celebrating the people who have done good work to help dogs and organizations that are doing good things and sharing all those stories." It's great that they'll be featuring the heroes on the front lines of animal rescue, those rescue organizations that work tirelessly to save lives, such as Beagle Freedom Project (featured in Bark's fall issue) This remarkable show will celebrate not just the rescuers, but also, the dogs themselves, from mixed breeds to purebreds, from youngsters to seniors and those with special needs, highlighting their uplifting, life-affirming stories. This makes for perfect viewing for the whole family.
On Tuesday, Hilary Swank was interviewed by Ryan Seacrest on his very popular iHeart radio show , she explained to the listeners, as she did in our winter issue, the problems faced by dogs in shelters and how grateful they are to their rescuers, she explained how tirelessly rescue groups work to care for dogs and connect them to forever homes, and she also gave The Bark a big shout out. She told Ryan that while she has been on the covers of Vogue and Vanity Fair, it was more important to her, and a bigger honor, to be featured, with her dear dogs, Rumi and Kai, on the cover of The Bark!
We were thrilled by her words but we'll be even more thrilled if you tune into Fox's Cause for Paws: An All-Star Dog Spectacular, 8 to 10 pm (7 pm Central time) on Thursday, Thanksgiving night on your local Fox station—tuning in is very important because a large viewership will give networks the green light for further rescue advocacy programming. And, as executive producer Michael Levitt notes, "This is our big opportunity to change the misperception of shelter animals and show the world that rescuing a dog is always the way to go."
I hope you will be moved to donate to the cause and open your hearts to adopt a rescue dog or help in any way you can. This is a cause where every person can make an important difference. So remember: adopt, foster or donate, and most importantly, spread the word. Join Swank, Levitt and your local rescue communities in saving the lives of animals and enriching your own as well.
For Q&A with HIlary Swank, see here
Dog's Life: Humane
Posted by
November 19 2014
Beyond being famous for her film work—which has earned her two Academy Awards—Hilary Swank has also made a name for herself as a leading advocate for animals. On Thanksgiving night (Fox, 8 to 10 p.m.), she'll bring her talents and humane passion to a special program celebrating rescue dogs: Fox's Cause for Paws: An All-Star Dog Special. She is co-producing this groundbreaking show with Michael Levitt, producer of special programming and a leader in dog rescue. Jane Lynch will be the co-host. We recently had the opportunity to talk with Swank about her animal advocacy and this extraordinary television show.
Claudia Kawczynska: What drew you to rescue/shelter dogs?
Hilary Swank: Every year, nearly 8 million animals end up in shelters, of which approximately 4 million never make it out. We want to do the work [on this program] to make people aware of the extent of the problem, because I don't believe that anyone's life should be cut short. Up to 25 percent of homeless animals are purebred, if people are looking for a purebred. There are puppies; young, already trained dogs; and senior dogs. If people are made aware, they will know that their four-legged family member is waiting for them at a shelter or rescue organization. So many people want a dog but are either misinformed or simply unaware of these facts. Rescuing a dog shouldn't be arduous or difficult, and this program will bring to light just how simple the process truly is if they have the right tools.
CK: How important is training to the success of an adoption?
HS: Sometimes people are disappointed when their dogs don't behave, and yet they haven't given the dog the skills to know how to behave. Dogs want to make you happy and want to know what you expect from them. For this reason, I believe in positive reinforcement training. It's been such a joy to train my dogs and help them realize they have a place they belong.
CK: How did you become such a great advocate for dogs?
HS: I've always had a special place in my heart for all animals, but dogs especially; I just love them. As early as I can remember, I wanted a dog—they just look at us and see us for who we really are, when we sometimes feel that no one is able to do that. I feel there's a connection between dogs and humans that is super profound. That is something I experienced when I moved out of the house at 18 and rescued my first dog, a black Lab/Shepherd mix I named Lucky. Besides the dogs I've rescued and shared my home with [Lucky, Karoo, Rumi and Kai], I've also found forever homes for thousands of dogs.
I have worked with humane societies in New York and LA and places in between, going in shelters during my days off [from filming], volunteering and connecting dogs with people who were ready to rescue. With the passing of Karoo, who touched my soul profoundly, I decided to start the Hilaroo Foundation.
CK: Tell us about the Hilaroo Foundation.
HS: Hilaroo is my name and Karoo's name put together. The goal of the foundation is to bring together youth who have been given up on and animals who have been abandoned, to help heal one another through Rescue, Rehabilitation, Animal Adoption and Responsibility Training. Every soul needs someone who cares and believes in us, and this will be the goal and mission of the Hilaroo Foundation.
We will rescue animals who have been abandoned and rehabilitate them, both physically and emotionally. Youth who, whether by choice or circumstance, have been given up on by society will be paired with animals to help in that rehabilitation endeavor. The two souls will set out on a journey together to find healing.
When the animals are ready, we will adopt them into forever homes. Through their time at the foundation, youth will be given responsibility training so that they can go out into this world to make it a better place for themselves. Simply stated, the mission of the Hilaroo Foundation is to "change the path of a soul."
CK: Tell us more about Fox's Cause for Paws: An All-Star Dog Special. How did it come about? How long have you been working on and planning this program?
HS: Michael Levitt brought it to me about a year ago, and the Fox television network loved the idea and gave us the opportunity, for the first time in history, to make a two-hour special that celebrates dogs and the dog-human connection. This is going to be an entertaining, joyful family show with a lot of fun and lots of dogs; prizes will be given for best tricks, best howlers, celebrity lookalikes and best viral dog video, and we'll celebrate the people who have done good work to help dogs and organizations that are doing good things. We'll be sharing all those stories. The program will also be an education effort, informing people about the importance of rescue/adoption and spay/neuter, among other things. Knowledge is power, and we are so excited to see what lives will be changed by this program.
CK: You've gathered quite a cast of celebrities. Tell us about them.
HS: So many people are stepping up to help by lending their time, their name and their talent: Jane Lynch (co-host), Channing Tatum, Miley Cyrus, Amber Riley, Kristen Bell, Betty White, Kristin Chenoweth, Carrie Ann Inaba, LeAnn Rime, Masterchef, Jr. Contestants: Mitchell, Natalie and Sean, David Arquette, Max Greenfield, Emmy Rossum, Olivia Munn, Jenna Dewan-Tatum, Paula Abdul, Jerry O'Connell, Randy Jackson, Josh Duhamel, Rebecca Romijn, Julianne Hough, Sharon Osbourne, Kathy Griffin, Wayne Brady, Kelly Osbourne, Wendie Malick. There are so many dog lovers out there, and it's been such a blessing to see them coming together—for that, I am so thankful.
CK: Since this program will be pre-taped, how will the adoption process be handled?
HS: We'll be working with many wonderful, experienced dog rescuers who have been vetted by our own "canine unit" to make sure that everyone is doing their due diligence. All the dogs on the show (who will also be highlighted on our website) will come from approved 501(c)(3) rescue groups that have agreed to an established code of conduct. Our website will also introduce people to the dogs on the program and others in their geographic area who are looking for homes.
For those who cannot adopt, we'll give them the opportunity to foster as well as donate time and/or money; everyone will be able to help in many ways. Potential adopters or fosterers will be thoroughly vetted and asked to fill out a pre-adoption application that will include reference checks, site visits and, very importantly, follow-up visits (that is a big thing—helping people with that transition is super important). All of the dogs will come from the ranks of grassroots rescuers.
The donations will be handled through a well-established charitable foundation, which, in turn, will dispense the funds to the individual groups through a granting process. So people will be able to call in or text and give to organizations that are doing extraordinary things for animals.
It is a really great opportunity all around, and I'm really proud to be part of it, and to help shepherd it. It is our hope that this coming-together with viewers will be such a great success that we'll be able to do it every year. There is no better day than Thanksgiving to air this program, because of all the thanks we have for our four-legged friends, who bring us such unconditional love.
Website fox.com/causeforpaws
News: Editors
Posted by
October 10 2014
A couple of years ago we reported that Jackie Speier (D-Calif) deserved a Bark call-out for a job well-done for "ripping" into the National Park Service for an agent who used a taser on a man who was running with his small dogs off-leash in an unincorporated area in San Mateo County.
Now a judge has ruled that the park ranger, Sarah Cavallaro, acted unlawfully when she used her taser on Gary Hesterberg. Not only that but Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley also found that since the leash law had never been enforced at the Rancho Corral de Tierra—which had only recently been acquired by the Golden Gate National Recreation Area—that the ranger overstepped her duty that day, the first day of leash enforcement. Rangers had been instructed to take a "soft enforcement, outreach approach with regards to violations of the Rancho's new rules." This was an approach that apparently Cavallaro did not follow.
It was reported that
"After four minutes with the stun gun pointed at him, Hesterberg said he had a heart condition and again asked what authority he was being held under, to which Cavallaro answered, "the Constitution."
"That is no kind of answer," Hesterberg responded, before turning to leave. When he did, Cavallaro fired her stun gun, hitting Hesterberg in the back and buttocks, court records show.
When Hesterberg was confronted by the ranger about the leash policy, he, allegedly, was uncooperative and would not provide her with his name. So after being tasered he was actually arrested on suspicion of failing to obey a lawful order, keeping dogs off-leash and providing false information, but San Mateo County prosecutors declined to file charges.
Back in 2012, Representative Speier had noted that, "Many of my constituents are understandably angered by what appears to be an excessive use of force by a park ranger." She added, "From the information I have to date, it does not appear that the use of a taser was warranted." Speier also requested information about training in taser usage for park rangers, including the appropriate utilization and risks of tasers.
The court also found that Hesterberg, though uncooperative, never posed an immediate threat to Cavallaro or anyone else and that the ranger did not provide an adequate warning that she would shoot him with the stun gun if he tried to leave.
The judge found in favor of Hesterberg, awarding him $50,000 in damages for both physical and mental suffering.
News: Editors
Posted by
October 5 2014
I just saw a story on Huffpost about a trove of photographs that were recently found from John Kennedy's wedding to Jackie back in 1953. The photos were taken by a freelance photographer Arthur Burges, a backup shooter for the occasion. You can quickly see who our attention was drawn to in these photos and wonder who the lucky pup was and how he had such a prime spot on that memorable day.
Culture: DogPatch
The Yin Effect
Posted by
September 28 2014
On September 28, 2014, the world lost one of leading advocates for the humane treatment of animals when 48-year-old Sophia Yin, DVM, MS, died at her home in Davis, Calif. Her death was attributed, tragically, to suicide. The news spread quickly on social media and stunned the training, behavior, veterinary and humane communities in which she was a leader. I was honored to count Sophia as a friend and a colleague.
To say that her death shocked everyone who knew or knew of her is an understatement. I would be hard pressed to think of anyone more unlikely to leave us in the manner that she did, and it has been extremely difficult for me to come to terms with the loss.
Dynamic, loving, generous, compassionate, intelligent, ebullient, extremely hard-working, Sophia approached everything she did—from running her own media company (aptly named CattleDog Publishing) to her tireless work as a veterinary behaviorist and trainer—with the highest level of excellence, professionalism and enthusiasm.
A pioneer in the field of force-free, positive-reinforcement dog training, her books include How to Behave So Your Dog Behaves and Low Stress Handling, Restraint and Behavior Modification of Dogs & Cats, the first (and so far, only) instructional book for veterinarians on these important skills. Her expertise and generosity are still on display on her website, drsophiayin.com, where she shared training videos, papers and practical advice, all for free.
I first met Sophia at a Karen Pryor clicker-training expo, and her passion for the program was infectious. We had just launched The Bark, and she eagerly accepted my invitation to write for us. More recently, she and I attended an APDT meeting together— accompanied by her amazing little JRT, Jonesy, a constant at her side— and it was like being with a rock star. Every bit of the attention and praise that came her way was well deserved.
About five years ago, she told me she was planning a vacation to Southeast Asia. We had published a story about an amazing street dog project in Bali, so I mentioned it to her, and suggested that she might look in on them. Well, even though Bali had not been on her itinerary, she made it a point to go there and help out. She not only gave seminars and training demonstrations, she also brought much-needed medicines (and dog toys, which was very like her). It was so unexpected, yet so eminently "Sophia" for her to step up in that fashion. On a personal note, I also enlisted her expertise when we brought our semi-feral, fearful pups home from Kentucky; her counsel (take it slow, have plenty of patience) and advice (stimulate without force) worked wonders.
She generously gave time and energy to so many people. It was Sophia's mission to improve our understanding of animal behavior, and the behavioral modification programs she developed were strictly scientifically based (unlike the coercion or dominance methods popularized by a TV personality). Sophia dedicated her life to helping us learn how to better communicate with our animals as a way to improve the bonds between us.
We grieve for the loss that her family has suffered, and we will make it our mission to honor her memory by promoting and enshrining all that she stood for. Her legacy—the Yin Effect, some call it—is enhanced every time someone offers a dog a jackpot treat for responding to a cue, or takes up chicken training to master the art of a "quick" click, or adds a dog to a personal exercise routine, or (in the case of vets) sits on the floor to be with a patient.
Dear Sophia, you taught us so much. Bark dedicates our Winter 2014 issue to Dr. Sophia Yin, with tributes and recollections from those whose lives she touched.
Did you ever see Sophia Yin blowing in a dog's face to counter-condition his tendency to snap and growl? It's a thing of wonder. I wonder at the speed with which a formerly reactive dog can be turned into a delightful, adoptable dog. I wonder at the pleasure the dogs who were lucky enough to meet Sophia must have received from their encounter. I wonder at her ability to apply simple, well-known behavioral principles to novel problems with such mastery.
As someone who is keen to understand and highlight the dog's point of view, I saw Sophia as embodying this approach in a meaningful, practical way—toward training both dog and owner to comprehend what the other is saying. My heart about leaps imagining the improvement in the lives of the dogs she worked with, directly or indirectly.
— Alexandra Horowitz, PhD Author, Inside of a Dog
Sophia Yin and I met often over the years: at conferences, at ClickerExpo, over training matters and commercial interests, too. She was elegant, warm, smiling, always full of new projects, new creative ideas, new training. Once, she showed me a video of a stallion in the barns at UC Davis who was terrified of the fly sprayer. She clicker trained him to the point where he left off ogling the pretty mare in the next paddock to run to Sophia and get his face sprayed instead. Her newspaper column, her wonderful book on gentle handling … everything she did was magic. Darn it, Sophia, we were not through with you! I miss you.
— Karen Pryor Founder, Karen Pryor Clicker Training and Karen Pryor Academy
Like many others, I was devastated to learn of Sophia's death. I did back-to-back lectures and workshops with Sophia in southern Germany in late 2006. We talked about the importance of positive training/teaching, and she was very interested and concerned about the terminology used to discuss the behavior of dogs, especially the word "dominance." We had lovely exchanges about this and other topics, and I learned a lot from these discussions. I loved how "up" she always was, and how enthusiastic she was when talking about dogs—always open to learning more about them and their relationship with us.
People gravitated to her like she was a magnet. I followed Sophia's career closely because she was so very interested in applying what we know about dog behavior to how we teach and live with these amazing beings. We also shared a passion for "getting out"; when Sophia contacted me after the conference, assuming I might not remember who she was—of course, I did—she wrote: "It's Sophia from the Germany conference. I went running on the path you suggested the day after the conference. It was a nice run."
It's heartening to know that Sophia's legacy and positive spirit, energy and love for dogs and people will live on and on, as they should. Thank you, Sophia, for all you did for dogs and their humans. The "Yin Effect" will endure for years on end.
— Marc Bekoff, PhD Author, The Emotional Lives of Animals, Animal Matters
Sophia relentlessly championed reward-based dog training and provided a wealth of easy and effective alternatives to aversive training techniques. She was a bright light in the fields of dog training and behavior counseling. I really loved her approach. Despite her excellent academic pedigree, Sophia never tried to complicate matters by using unfathomable terminology. Instead, she always explained behavior and training succinctly and clearly in a down-toearth, step-by-step fashion that everybody could understand and follow. Her Manners Minder is a brilliant tool with numerous uses, and her book Low Stress Handling, Restraint and Behavior Modification of Dogs and Cats was a breath of fresh air and remains a must-read for all veterinary practitioners. Sophia died much too young; such a tragic loss. Her sparkling presence and sage, practical advice will be sorely missed.
— Dr. Ian Dunbar Founder, Association of Pet Dog Trainers
It was always a pleasure to have Sophia in my workshops. She was interested, and interesting. Her enthusiasm was infectious to the other students. Later, when we shared a stage during seminars, she was an enthusiastic and tireless teacher. She was a prolific writer, addressing issues of great importance to pet owners around the world. I was very sad to hear of Sophia's death. My deepest condolences to Sophia's family and colleagues.
— Bob Bailey Founder, Operant Conditioning Workshops, Animal Behavior Analysis and Clicker Training Pioneer
Having Sophia as a mentor and friend remains a very great honor. She cared deeply for animals, and taught us to make their lives better. Sophia came to Bali at her own expense to help us. She worked tirelessly to show that animals have feelings, and taught our staff how to work with fearful and aggressive animals.
We use her training materials Her translated animal-posture posters are in Bali schools, where children learn love and respect for animals through Sophia's heart and teachings. Bali continues to benefit from Sophia's understanding, kindness and enduring love of animals. Sophia inspired us all. Her legacy will live on in Bali. Rest in peace, dear Sophia.
— Janice Girardi Founder & Director, Bali Animal Welfare Association (BAWA)
The veterinary and animal behavior communities lost a true champion for our pets with the passing of Dr. Sophia Yin. She was a strong advocate for humane, science-based, positive-reinforcement training. However, I believe that her greatest contribution was her visionary and tireless promotion of low-stress handling to veterinarians, veterinary students and all animal professionals. Her death has left a huge void in the world of animal behavior, but left perhaps even a greater void for all of the veterinary patients and clients who have benefitted from her teaching.
— Melissa Bain, DVM Associate Professor of Clinical Animal Behavior, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine
Sophia Yin was a leader and an innovator in the field of dog training —so positive, so skilled and so productive. Her incredible output of high-quality books, videos, blogs and seminars helped thousands of people and animals. An advocate for positive, science-based training and gentle treatment of our pets, Sophia will be missed by cats, dogs, behaviorists, trainers, veterinarians and vet techs.
She made all of our lives better and our relationships with each other richer. That is the beautiful legacy she leaves behind.
— Karen London, PhD Certified Animal Behaviorist
Along with so many others, I was devastated when I learned of the sudden passing of fellow veterinarian and admired animal behaviorist Dr. Sophia Yin. Sophia and I were classmates in veterinary school at UC Davis. Although we traveled in different circles of friends during those wondrous and difficult vetschool years, I will always remember her with a beautiful smile on her face! She was the top of our class, incredibly intelligent; she won every scholarship and award possible.
She was already thinking outside the box during those early years by writing and publishing (through her own self-formed publishing company) a veterinary "nerd book." Anyone who has graduated from vet school knows exactly what I am referring to, a small pocket notebook that lists all the critical facts, diagnoses and drug dosages vet students need to survive their senior clinical year. This nerd book has since been adopted by every veterinary school in the country.
Sophia had a soulful understanding of animals, and helped all veterinarians and their staffs learn how to better understand and manage the intense fear a pet can feel when it comes into our clinics. We were lucky to have her so close to us in the San Francisco Bay Area; Sophia was "the" person to whom we referred our most difficult behavior cases.
The world has lost a truly gentle, incredibly intelligent and pioneering veterinarian as well as a hero and humane advocate for all animals.
— Jenny Taylor, DVM Founder, Creature Comforts Holistic Veterinary Center
Dr. Sophia Yin's presence in any forum had a magnetizing effect. We were all drawn to her because she exuded passion and enthusiasm. Dr. Yin always shared her expertise in a generous and inclusive manner. Her work and dedication to lower stress levels for dogs and cats, veterinary professionals, and trainers and groomers set the ball in motion for every caregiver to look at medical and husbandry care through empathetic and compassionate eyes. It is an absolute honor to have learned from her, and to have shared experiences with both domestic and exotic species with her over the years. Dr. Yin will be missed beyond words.
— Laura Monaco Torelli Founder, Animal Behavior Training Concepts
Sophia was a vibrant member of the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior. She served on the executive board and several committees for many years, and co-wrote some of our position statements. Over the years that I've known her, she strongly believed in AVSAB's mission, and always actively helped us reach out to those who wanted information about animal-friendly training and behavior modification, and decreasing patients' stress during veterinary visits. Many of our members gravitated toward veterinary behavior because of Sophia's work and guidance, and many others used her handouts and videos regularly when treating behavior patients. I believe that I speak for the majority of our members when I say that Sophia's passing has left a great emptiness, and those of us remaining will honor her memory by carrying on with what she started.
— Valli Parthasarathy, PhD, DVM Immediate Past President, AVSAB
What impressed me most about Sophia Yin was her apparently unflagging drive, crackling intelligence and sheer number of talents. Is it really possible to learn and practice a variety of behavior modification strategies; have a clinical practice; teach college classes; go on the speaking circuit; develop a fantastic and much-needed remote food dispenser; commit to perfection and entrepreneurship; perform and publish research projects; deliver dynamic outreach materials for the public, the behavior community and veterinarians; and publish one-of-a-kind books layered with specific demonstration pictures and accompanied by detailed how-to/ how-come videos? Really? Of course, it's not possible! Yet, she did!
I use her materials every day in my work. I, like many others, refer clients to her books and videos, veterinarians to her Low Stress Handling information, and members of the public to her blog or Facebook page. I do my job better because of these resources.
Sophia's talent, energy and care as a healer will live on in these materials. She will not be forgotten by the thousands of people she helped and influenced. We must continue to build on the amazing breadth of talent and knowledge shared by this one mighty firecracker of a veterinarian. We must find a way to keep her contributions alive, sparking more to lead the fearfree, science-based animal behavior movement in both their personal and professional lives.
We are grieving and many of us are tired, but let us kindle the fire she built and start more. Our profession is doing important work. Teaching people to respectfully problem-solve with animals can help them reach for non-violent solutions to intrapersonal and societal problems as well. While many of us may not burn as bright, we can still create lasting change, especially if we use the scaffolding Sophia created.
Sophia: We always needed you far more than you needed us. You brought blazing reality to the emotional dangers we face and to the amount of work yet to be done. You are greatly missed.
— E'Lise Christensen, DVM, DACVB Board Certified Veterinary Behaviorist
"Be more Sophia Yin" is an expression in my home. We use it to mean, "You're reinforcing the wrong behavior. The dog doesn't understand what you want." Dog lovers would be well served to adopt this phrase. To "Be more Sophia Yin" is to bring clear communication and fun to your training. It is to leave myths and stereotypes at the door and embrace canine ethology and cognition research and the science of learning and training. It is to embrace enjoyment and cooperation as opposed to coercion or brute force as the path to behavior change. Sophia Yin spent a lifetime connecting animal lovers and practitioners to techniques that help companion animals feel safer and happier. I am devastated that Sophia Yin is no longer with us, and forever thankful that her legacy remains.
— Julie Hecht, MSc Canine Behavioral Researcher and Science Writer
Part of the work I do as a force-free trainer is to discourage the use of punitive training methods and to dispel outdated behavior myths that continue to pervade the public's consciousness. Changing the way people interact and teach their dogs can be very challenging, and sometimes I feel like I'm walking up a very steep hill that never ends.
There are certain people who make the walk easier, though, people I look up to and from whom I find the strength I need to continue teaching— people who make perfect sense and energize me with their knowledge and expertise. Sophia Yin was one of them. She was a force for humane training, and helped animal lovers all over the world better understand their pets. She was a valued contributor to my Positively site, and her posts were always widely shared and appreciated by a large pet-loving audience. She was someone I looked up to, admiring her tenacity and the candor with which she spoke.
Those of us whose lives she touched will never be the same, and her loss is profound on so many levels. I will continue to share her work far and wide so that pet lovers still benefit from her wisdom, passion and desire to make the world a better place for pets and the people who love them.
— Victoria Stilwell Author, It's Me or the Dog, Train Your Dog Positively
News: Editors
Walking the dogs
Posted by
September 6 2014
I was walking Lola, Kit and Charlie this morning at the Bulb, a regional park in nearby Albany (CA), when I saw a man setting up, what looked like a birdwatching apparatus, but, happily and surprisingly, it turned out to be a set of bagpipes. I held back with two of the dogs (asking them to jump up on a "painted" boulder) not being sure how they would react to this unexpected park visitor. But I let Lola go up to him and sniff around. He welcomed her, reached down to pet her and to assure her that the sounds coming from the strange "bag" weren't going to harm her. He turned out to be a really nice guy—which could be easily gleaned by the way he welcomed the dogs—he looked to be in his 60s, and has worked in public libraries (around the country) all his life, and just started to pick up the pipes again after a long hiatus. I certainly look forward to seeing and hearing him practice again.
I was able to capture a video snippet of this special moment. Would love to hear about the ones you have had during a dog walk—an unexpected surprise, a lovely sunset, meeting an interesting person, just something that made you thankful that you and your dog were able to share in its magic.
Culture: Reviews
(Simon and Schuster)
Not long ago, Barbara Natterson-Horowitz, MD, looked at the connections between human ailments and those suffered by other animals. In the process, she coined a new word, zoobiquity, to describe that nascent field of study. The 2012 publication of her book of the same name marked an awakening interest in exploring the "animal-human overlap."
Now, as an apt complement to that work, comes Animal Madness by Laurel Braitman, a science historian with a PhD from MIT. In her book, Braitman explores the ways in which the human mind and its disorders are inextricably linked with those of other social animals. She was launched into this line of study by her struggle to understand and heal Oliver, her compulsive, phobia- and anxiety-plagued Bernese Mountain Dog. Through caring for Oliver, Braitman experienced firsthand the challenges that animals with extreme mental illness present to themselves and to the people who love them.
Oliver's trauma began when he was pushed aside by his first family after the birth of a child, an event that severely affected his mental and emotional life; Braitman and her then-husband only learned about this after adopting him as a four-year-old from his breeder. When the dog's intense separation anxiety caused him to leap out of the couple's fourth-floor apartment window, it became clear that it was almost impossible to leave him alone. As a result, their lives were increasingly constrained by Oliver's fears, anxieties and compulsions. In trying to understand just how to best to help him, Braitman began to wonder how similar Oliver's experiences were to those of humans with mental and emotional problems.
As the subtitle notes, the scope of this book spans multiple species—not just anxious companion animals but also, compulsive parrots, depressed great apes and donkeys, suicidal sea mammals, jealous elephants, and many others. While Oliver's plight—which Braitman admits had her acting like a service animal for her own dog—runs through the book, she also covers topics like Charles Darwin (a firm believer in animal emotions), anthropomorphism (not a bad thing at all, since it allows us to understand "the other" better) and animal-pharma (an industry that has become quite pervasive in the treatment of animal psychological problems). Regarding the latter, she notes that initially, these drugs—which are projected to reach $9 billion in annual sales by 2015—were only prescribed by vet behavior specialists but are now readily available from most general-practice vets.
While some of these stories can be difficult for animal lovers to read, most have mediated recoveries. However, taken together, they make a salient case for acknowledging the "parallels between human and other animal mental health," which, as Braitman notes, "is a bit like recognizing capacities for language, tool use and culture in other creatures." And, given how important emotional enrichment is to all social animals, she definitely has qualms about the capacity of any social animal to lead an emotionally stable life in captivity in a zoo environment.
In the hands of an observant and engaging writer like Braitman, this story is an outstanding example of a rigorous investigation presented in a most accessible way. Readers will also be rewarded by the deep compassion and gratitude she shows for all her subjects, both the animals and the humans who care for them. As she humbly observes, Oliver was "one anxious dog who brought me the entire animal kingdom. I owe him everything."
For more insights, see the Q&A with Laurel Braitman.
Good Dog: Studies & Research
Author of Animal Madness: How Anxious Dogs Help Us Understand Ourselves
In an engrossing new book, Animal Madness: How Anxious Dogs, Compulsive Parrots, and Elephants in Recovery Help Us Understand Ourselves, science historian Laurel Braitman investigates the symptoms, causes and recoveries associated with behavioral disturbances in a wide variety of social animals. Starting with her own dog, Oliver, who suffered from debilitating separation anxiety, she discovered that mental illness in animals looks a lot like it does in people. In a recent conversation on a sunny afternoon in Berkeley, she shared some of her insights with us.
Claudia Kawczynska: In the book, you talk about the use of psychopharmaceuticals, pointing out that not only is one in five Americans on them, but also, increasing numbers of dogs are being given them as well. But there seems to be a divide in the veterinary field on their use. After looking into this subject, how do you feel about it?
Laurel Braitman: Sometimes our dogs need them, or the drugs are used as a band-aid to correct for stressors in a dog's life that could be changed. Sometimes the drugs don't work. They don't always work for people either actually, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try them in the right situation. E'Lise Christensen, a veterinary behaviorist, said that if the dogs she sees were humans, most of them would be committed to in-patient facilities. That is why she thinks drugs are useful in really extreme situations—to keep dogs from hurting themselves while giving behavior therapy time to work.
It's really hard to generalize, though; so much depends on the individual dog. A certain dosage of, let's say, Xanax, may make some dogs so blissed out that they don't want a treat or whatever is being offered as an incentive. Other dogs might do really well on the same dosage. And different dogs will react differently to different drugs.
A lot of the behaviorists I spoke with are seeing dogs on dosages that would have calmed most canines, but are in the behaviorists' waiting rooms because the drug didn't work for them. There are also cases where a drug causes other issues—such as reducing inhibitions so that a previously-friendly dog becomes more aggressive.
CK: How similar are certain human and canine disorders?
LB: Panic disorders in humans are really similar to canine separation anxiety; when we're flooded with panic, our first instinct is to escape. The same feeling drives the behaviors seen in many dogs anxious at being left alone; in my own dog's case, he fled by jumping out of a window.
With humans, we assume that the roots of the disorder have to be dealt with in therapy over time—that we need to understand the triggers for someone's panic. The approach for nonhumans should be the same.
Drugs are helpful when a dog is so upset, so distressed or suffering so much that the behavioral things that experts such as Ian Dunbar suggest just aren't possible. Pharmaceuticals act like panic buttons; they can help the animal tap into the physical and emotional resources they need to be able to learn.
CK: It seems like there are at least two approaches to calming an anxious dog. Some veterinarians (such as the late Mel Richardson) believe that soothing an anxious dog isn't the best approach—that petting only rewards the panicked behavior. But others, including Patricia McConnell, make a compelling case for the opposite approach. This is an important difference.
LB: McConnell is right! Dogs are complex thinkers and will not automatically equate you petting them with positive reinforcement. If they did, dog training would be a hell of a lot simpler! The example that Mel gave, and I included in the book, is different, however. A patient of his came in with a dog who acted scared in her living room, ever since a plate dropped off a wall during a fight the woman had with her boyfriend. The woman may have been rewarding her dog for hugging the sides of the room, not necessarily comforting him for something that was stressful. We do at times unwittingly positively reinforce our animals for behaviors we then find undesirable; but soothing your dog during thunderstorms or fireworks displays makes a lot of sense.
I always comforted Oliver during thunderstorms, I didn't ignore him, and clearly if that worked he wouldn't have had a thunderstorm phobia. I think we approach these problems with an almost patriarchal kind of "tough-it-up" attitude. It doesn't work with children and it doesn't work with dogs. It doesn't account for the fluidity and complexity of the human or other animal mind. Dogs know we are reading their distress and they read ours. No other creature on the planet—including other people in my opinion—is better at reading our emotions than dogs. They've spent at least 15,000 years at it.
CK: Oliver was a purebred Bernese Mountain Dog. In your research, did you find that abnormal behaviors were more, or less, likely to be found in purebreds?
LB: I wish there were a good answer to that. Every behaviorist I spoke with, and many trainers, were familiar with breed-specific manifestations of mental illness. Tail-chasing, shadow-chasing, OCD. Oliver suffered from an extreme case of separation anxiety, but I didn't find that was something frequently seen in Berners.
(By the way, I'm not saying that shelter dogs won't have issues; they could have the same or different problems related to abandonment, phobias, or lack of socialization.) We should really have honest talks with breeders about the mental health of their dogs, but we rarely do. Every breeder will say that they breed "family" dogs. But I have to wonder if—once they've spent a fortune on breeding pairs, and the pups are potentially quite valuable—they will really take one out of the mix if he or she develops mental problems.
CK: It was interesting to read that Nicole Cottam, who was at Tufts Animal Behavior Clinic, thought that jealousy was the leading cause of canine aggression.
LB: Jealousy is an issue for many more creatures than dogs. It came up a lot in regards to other social animals too, like elephants and the other great apes. Why would we, or our dogs, be the only ones to experience it? Our pack, our families, our troops are everything and it can be threatening if we perceive, rightly or wrongly, that we may lose someone's attention.
In the context of elephants, it's a matter of public safety. Almost everyone I talked to in Thailand believed that most elephant-on-elephant and elephant-on-human violence comes from jealousy. If a young man who works with elephants visits a girlfriend, they say, he has to shower many times before he interacts with his elephant again and, sometimes even that's not enough. He'll need to bring a truckload of pineapples or bananas to win back the trust of his elephant.
Elephants can also be extremely dangerous if one of their elephant friends becomes closer to another elephant and ignores them. Or if a person is feeding elephants and doesn't feed them at exactly the same time—that can be dangerous as well.
Dogs, of course, can be aggressive and protective around food. But perhaps it may also be that the dog is jealous—that he or she feels another dog is getting more of your attention because the other dog is being fed first.
CK: How can we know that dogs experience jealousy?
LB: Jealousy is actually the darker side of a positive emotion. That is, if we build our lives around those near to us and have close relationships with them, and then suddenly those relationships are taken away, we are going to feel bad. Everything in us wants to connect—we are social beings. Most of us are also our dogs' primary "other" animal.
Clearly, that is what happened in my dog's case. He went from being the center of his first family's world to its fringes because there was a new baby in the house. [Ed. note: Oliver's previous owners moved him to the garage, among other things, when he started to act out.] I have nothing but empathy for the family. They didn't mean to hurt him; they just didn't know what else to do.
CK: How do we know that dogs have these complex emotional experiences?
LB: There are many things we can't test for specifically (even if we're doing things like putting dogs inside MRI machines), but since we have been living with dogs for thousands of years, we owe them the benefit of the doubt. Actually, talking to friends at the dog park can teach us a lot. That's how Darwin did it; he collected stories, then amalgamated the stories into a theory. His stories about his dogs are wonderful and clearly anecdotal—really the equivalent of talking to dog park people.
CK: Modern life can be difficult for dogs; most have far too little to do, and few opportunities to express their true "doggishness" or funktionslust (a great German word you use—taking pleasure in what one does best). For many dogs, that would be running, sniffing, chasing and so forth. How can we give our dogs more of what they need?
LB: Most dog owners have the best of intentions, but realistically, can't pack up their urban lives and move to the country, or get a second dog to provide their dog with a companion.
But going to a dog park and spending most of our time engaged with our phones—emailing, tweeting, posting to Facebook—and then going home and sitting in front of the TV (even if our dog's sitting with us) isn't good for either of us. Most of the things that will make our dog feel better are things that will help us feel better, too. Neither humans nor dogs are prepared for many aspects of contemporary life. We spend too much time indoors, seated, by ourselves. . How all of this has affected our canine companions, we still don't know, but it can't help but contribute to some of the issues we are seeing in dogs.
CK: Our own dogs are almost always with us; they come to the office, they get long hikes in the local parks and so forth. But when we take them up to the country, they seem to come alive; they're different beings. It is amazing to see how they behave when they have free access to the outside. They rarely nap during the day, they're always alert—they just seem more fulfilled.
LB: It's the stimulation, and we all need that. Dogs who are not as motivated or curious about their environment may need less stimulation, but they still need some.
CK: Behaviorally, there are similarities in canine and human cognitive decline, you point out that in dogs, as in us, it can perhaps be offset by mental stimulation and a diet rich in antioxidants. (As a devoted crossword puzzler and blueberry lover, I was heartened to read this.) Any more thoughts on this?
LB: Avoiding the problems of an aging brain, or at least slowing the process, is really at the forefront of human medicine now, and we ought to be looking into that for other creatures. Adding a miniscule amount of blueberries to dog treats isn't going to do it, however—that's crazy. But if we need another reason to stimulate our dog's minds, this is it.
Puzzles we can solve together are fun. I played hide-and-seek games with my dog—that was a great brainteaser. Talk about memory! He would always look first in the last place I hid. Clearly, he thought, She was behind the fridge the last time so she's probably there this time, too.
CK: We do this with our three all the time, and what I find interesting is that they never seem to use their noses to find us.
LB: I wonder if they may be "playing fair" with us, giving us a fighting chance. They might realize we're so bad at this game, and know that if they use all their abilities, they would win all the time. End of game! No fun!
CK: People don't seem to like complicated solutions, especially when it comes to dog training and behavior. We want to know the answer now. How do we accommodate that?
LB: I think it's human nature to want answers, especially when we have an animal who is upset. It feels like life and death, and sometimes, it is; the stakes with this stuff are high. If a dog's emotional problems manifest in aggression or make life too difficult and we can't fix them, the dog can wind up at a shelter. People's sense of urgency though can lead them to absolutes that don't help them or their dogs.
I am hoping that this book helps people understand why helping dogs can be a little complicated and a lot rewarding. A dog's social and emotional world isn't as fixed as most people think it is, and on the positive side, a dog's resiliency can work in our favor. Even though many dogs have every reason to not believe in the goodness of humans, they often do anyway, giving us chance after chance to help them. That is a magical, heartening thing.
For more insights, see the book review for Animal Madness.
News: Editors
Every dog has its day, and every day "has" its dog! So Friday August 15 has been declared as "Check the Chip Day," by the AVMA (American Veterinary Medicine Association) and the AAHA (American Animal Hospital Association). It serves as a good reminder to make sure your dog's microchip contact information is correct—perhaps you adopted a dog from a rescue group and forgot to change the contact info to yours, or your address has changed and you didn't notify the microchip registry. And, if your dog isn't chipped yet, this is also gives you the impetus to do it now—helps to ensure that you can be easily reunited with your dog if she is ever lost. A study of more than 7,700 stray animals at animal shelters showed that dogs without microchips were returned to their owners 21.9% of the time, whereas microchipped dogs were returned to their owners 52.2%. If you don't know your dog's chip number—a requirement to log into the registry—ask your vet or shelter to use a universal scanner to read the chip. Microchips come in various frequencies. Unfortunately there is no one frequency yet in place, so frequencies might be 125 kilo Hertz (kHz), 128 kHz, or 134.2 kHz, and only an universal scanner can read all of these. It also gets more complicated because each registry has its own database, but the AAHA maintains Universal Pet Microchip Lookup Tool linking all the registries. See this helpful video for more information about microchipping and if you have more questions these FAQs from the AVMA are useful.
News: Editors
As everyone knows by now, brilliant actor and comic Robin Williams died on Monday. I was one of the multitudes who have fond memories of him, not just for his work in TV and film, but also because of an unscheduled performance by him at a SF comedy club. He would do that a lot, just drop in for a "visit," get up on the stage, or in this case, just go to the front of the room, and everyone, including the other performers, were beguiled by his enormous talent in making people laugh. In one of the articles this morning in the LA Times, it was noted that his neighbors in Tiburon, Calif. took special delight in seeing him walk his dog, "The children called him "the funny man" and would greet him as such when he was out walking his pug, Lenny (after another famous comedian). He joked around easily with them, Cook said, "because they were kids." I also think that he joked with the kids because he had such a generous heart and was known to pay special attention to children everywhere.
As for the Pug, Leonard, Williams did adopt him back in March 2010 from Curly Tail Pug Rescue. See the story behind that adoption. And in an interview with The Telegragh (UK) he talked about little Lenny noting, "I also have a gay rescue pug called Leonard, who I take for walks, because I am very secure in my sexuality. He has a boyfriend and they are planning to adopt a Siamese kitten together. We're very modern." He was indeed a very funny man and will be missed by all.
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We Don't Like To Watch You Squirm...Not Always
Writers are sadists. Oh the number of times I've come across this turn of phrase and laughed. Is it true? Well, let's see.
My first thought when considering this is about what I've been discussing previously. We writers kill off characters, for specific reasons, to make a statement. And, is it because, in a small part of us, we want our readers to break their hearts. It's a peculiar thing to say that a writer enjoys the suffering of others. Usually, if that was said about a regular person, they would be thought of negatively and maybe even less-than-human. But to be sadistic as a writer is almost part of the job description and a necessity in the routine of writing. It's quite often laughed off.
So what does it come down to for a writer? Here's what I think: it's all about a response.
For me, I'd always felt as if I was being ignored growing up. I'm sure many others have, I put it down to being the youngest in the family and one with quite a reserved nature. As much as I wanted to and tried to involve myself in an adult conversation, because it made me feel like an adult, my opinion was always overlooked a little because I didn't have the "experience" or the "understanding" yet. Part of the reason I'm glad to be growing up and being taken seriously. And even in school, I never yelled out what I thought so nobody was really inclined to listen. Being ignored, or feeling underestimated (and hating it) is part of what cultivates a writer to me. I always say that there's a godliness to being a writer, for many reasons. You're escaping into a world that is your own, you're deciding the fates of characters who are almost human - to compensate for not being able to do it in real life. It's the God complex, and I think that definitely comes in the job description.
So, I do something completely unexpected in a story and the readers are reeling, why do I love that? Because they're listening. Because making them react to me through writing is the one way that I can make them react to me in the first place. I now have a powerful medium to reach people through. So, perhaps I'm being sadistic, or perhaps I'm simply twisting the gears and playing around with this wonderful new power I have. Philosophy talks about the god from classical theism as such: omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent, immutable, impassable, everlasting, timeless etc. etc. Sound familiar? I bet it does, because in one way or another, a writer is trying to become these things. Omnipotent - controlling readers and characters. Omniscient - knowing about something/somebody will never know more than you (since you created it, of course), timeless - surpassing the short time you have to live, and to leave your mark. Readers calling us sadistic simply targets the claim to omnibenevolence.
But without getting into a theological discussion, can we as writers, and gods, be omnibenevolent? Let's face it, if everything was sunny-and-blue in our stories, we'd get complaints that it wasn't interesting or didn't reflect real life. I think a writer has to laugh off the label of "sadistic" and just not challenge it because a reader can't understand the "great plan", to put it in godly terms. So I have to blow up a warehouse full of the most loved characters from literature, (imagine a men's club with Pip, Harry Potter and Mr Darcy playing blackjack - KABOOM!) but on the bright side, my character gets the girl. It's never that easy, and if it was, we wouldn't have nearly as much fun. We could disrepute being sadists and saying that the evil justifies the good, but there'd be responses flying like verbal cannonballs. The fact is, a reader probably feels more emotion in reading, good or bad, than in real life, and I guess you have to ask yourself that if they hate what you did so much, then why did they turn onto Chapter 19, and why does your book have pride of place in the middle-left of the bookshelf (it's the dream spot, honestly.) ?
So I say, when I am called a sadist: "yes I suppose I am. If you don't like it why don't you stop reading my work?...I rest my case."


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Social Tots! (Vancouver Westside)
Wednesday, May 30, 2012 at 10:00 AM - Wednesday, June 27, 2012 at 11:00 AM (PDT)
Event Details
Let's play! Let's get out! Let's get on the go!
Looking to get out of the house? Wondering where to go and what to do? Want something different each week? Social Tots is a 7-week "on the go" program for moms and their tots aged 0-4 years. Moms and tots meet on Wednesday mornings at various times and locations in and around the Westside of Vancouver. Classes are primarily in the Kitsilano area.
A fun and affordable way to check-out a wide variety of classes for your toddler!
This program happens every Wednesday from May 16th – June 27th. Space is limited to 10 moms! Late registrations are welcome, space permitting, and price will be pro-rated after purchase. Missed classes can be made-up in our fall session.
Moms and tots in this session will participate in:
- May 16, 10am : Storytime and crafts activity at Pottery Barn Kids
- May 23, 9:30am: Dance Class at BrightStars Performing Arts
- May 30, 11:30am: Art Class at 4Cats Art Studio
- June 6, 10:30am: Gymnastics Class at Phoenix Gymnastics
- June 13, 10:30am: Music Together Class with West Side Music Together
- June 20, 10:00am: Art Walk for Strollers with artist Catherine Pulkinghorn
- June 27, 10:00am: Wrap-up shopping/social event at Cowboys & Angels Toy Store, 4th Ave
All sessions are in the morning, and exact times & locations are emailed on request, or upon registration.
Although the program is geared towards ages 1-3, ANYONE aged 0-4 is welcome! If your child is less than 1 year old, just be prepared to participate a little more :)
$12 per session or $20 for two sessions ($10/$17 for members). Just $5 per session for any additional children (1-4). Children under 1 are no charge.
If you'd like to attend all sesssions, please contact me for a special package rate.
Have questions? Email Angie - email@example.com
When & Where
Wednesday, May 30, 2012 at 10:00 AM - Wednesday, June 27, 2012 at 11:00 AM (PDT)
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oco precisava de um novo design de logo e criou um concurso na 99designs.
Um vencedor foi selecionado entre 63 designs enviados por 26 designers freelancers.
In need of logo for a corporate with business in different industries like IT, F&B, etc
O Corporation Ltd
Desired Style: Creative, Modern and Clean
Logo should be timeless. It must be creative and modern.
The colour choice can be a combination of burgundy colour and gold or other choices that fits a corporate logo. Word "O Corporation Ltd" should be included and designer can play around with the "O".
Ownership of winning entry must be transferred via written contract. Must be original work and must be free of any potential trademark / use conflicts.
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text: "There is no meaning to a flower, unless it blooms." My name is Susan, I love comic books, music, harley quinn and the joker, batman, anita blake, zombies, blood, guts, and gore, horror movies, ghosts, demons, angels, fairies, dragons, underworldy creatures, physcological movies, waterfalls, mud, I love to write stories, poems, and music. I like to sing, I like going out and doing random stuff. Im very hyper, but im also scarryishly calm when I want to be. Im a fun person to be around and I love makeing new friends. I love people with strange stories that make you think. I love to write, and I am an avid reader, I hope you enjoy my stories, I write a little of everything haha!


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New Orleans Bourbon Street Cityscape abstract art painting by Debra
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Brush-a, Brush-a, Brush-a Just Isn't Enough Anymore
By TRISH HALL
Published: June 16, 1993
TOOTHBRUSHES may seem unimportant, or even distasteful, but they're getting a lot of attention these days as companies try to convince consumers that newly designed brushes will help them keep their teeth in good shape longer. Dozens of new models have turned up in stores in the last 18 months, many with curved or twisted handles and brushes of varying sizes that are quite different from the old standard with its straight handles and bristles evenly lined up like soldiers.
There is, of course, a reason, beyond cosmetics. They are aimed at the growing numbers of people who have reached their 30's and 40's, the age when gum disease begins to strike and keeping gums intact is more of a challenge than keeping cavities at bay. The old-style brushes were fine for keeping teeth clean, but many new ones promise to do more: to brush under the gum line and between the teeth where plaque, the dental world's word for dirt, lurks.
Big companies are spending millions to promote one brush as superior to another. "All of a sudden, it's exploded," said Glenn Archibald, president of Oral-B Laboratories, a top toothbrush maker. "People don't want to be 75 with false teeth."
Advertising for toothbrushes rose by 49 percent last year, from $38.2 million to $59 million, and is expected to grow by 25 percent this year, said Dee Ann Donnelly, marketing manager for Colgate toothbrushes.
That's a lot to spend when total toothbrush sales amount to $560 million a year. But sales were up 21 percent last year, and companies figure they could go even higher if Americans become as dutiful as the Japanese in replacing their brushes. Dentists recommend that brushes be replaced every three or four months, when the bristles wear down; while the Japanese comply, with 3.1 purchases per person per year, Americans buy just 1.8.
Procter & Gamble, which makes Crest toothpaste, came out last September with its first toothbrush, Crest Complete, which the company contends does a better job of getting between teeth because of the unusual rounded, rippled design of its bristles.
Oral-B is about to remake all its brushes so they will indicate when it's time to be replaced. (Some of the bristles are colored, and when they fade, after a few months of use, the brush should be discarded.) And last October, Colgate started selling its Precision brush, contending that it does a better job of removing plaque because the bristles are at different heights and arranged in rows of varying densities.
In trying to figure out how to make more tempting products, companies have learned a lot about how people brush. When Colgate wanted to create its new plaque-busting brush, it hired Human Factors Industrial Design Inc., a Manhattan company that specializes in developing medical instruments.
The two main designers on the project, Bert Heinzelman and Donald Lamond, collected 58 toothbrushes from stores and worn brushes from friends to examine what happened to them. "One person hadn't gotten a new toothbrush in six and a half years," Mr. Heinzelman said.
They watched 200 hours of videotapes of people brushing their teeth, mostly compiled by an outside marketing research concern. They analyzed each stroke, trying to learn which teeth were well brushed and which were not, and why.
Most people think they brush for two minutes, but they don't. In real life they spend 30 to 90 seconds. On the tapes, one man brushed for 15 minutes, but he was a dentist. And most didn't treat all their teeth equally. Another subject, who was fairly typical, did 69 percent of his brushing on the outside of his teeth and only 12 percent on the inside surface (the tongue side) and 19 percent on the top surfaces. Even on the outside, the region he obviously preferred, almost all the strokes were on the left and front teeth. The right teeth were probably shortchanged because he was righthanded.
By watching the brushing, the designers concluded that a toothbrush should be angled and should have bristles of varying heights so they spread apart on contact, reaching different surfaces, and so they don't move in unison but independently. All of this was intended to make the toothbrush effective no matter what brushing technique is used, because so few people follow dentists' suggestions to brush into the gums at a 45-degree angle (instead, they brush straight up and down or back and forth).
After spending a year on the project, Mr. Lamond and Mr. Heinzelman changed their own habits. They spend more time brushing. And they replace their brushes often. "After three months, your toothbrush is so packed with bacteria you're just moving it around," Mr. Lamond said.
Studies commissioned by Colgate showed that the Precision brush, developed with Human Factors, removed plaque more efficiently than some other brushes, although the author of one study, Samuel Yankell, a research professor at the University of Pennsylvania Dental School, cautioned that Precision was studied only before and after one use, not over a period of time.
According to the American Dental Association, which represents dentists, there is no perfect toothbrush that everyone ought to buy. Generally, it says brushes should be soft, but it is relatively noncommittal beyond that. Anything that makes people like their toothbrushes, and use them more, is considered good.
"Any superiority has been limited to the short term," said Wayne Wosniak of the A.D.A. "What we're more concerned about is what happens to the gums over a period of time. So far nobody has shown they are better in that regard."
New brushes are just the beginning in the marketing campaign to get people to pay more attention to their teeth. Dental floss now comes in colors and flavors. And new in stores is Nubrush, an antibacterial spray to kill bacteria that lurk in the toothbrush. All that's needed is a toothbrush holder that can accommodate all these strangely twisted handles.


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Would you accept your next data breach? Of course not!
So, let me start by stating the following statement. Data security is about placing the appropriate security controls to achieve confidentiality, integrity and availability on your organisation assets in order to prevent a possible breach.
However, most organisations are confused with this philosophy. The principles of confidentiality, integrity and availability are not balanced.
What do I mean by that? Most organisations spend huge amount of investment and resources on security technologies seeking high levels of "availability", because that's what service levels agreements are built on.
Funny enough, organisations mistakenly focus mostly at "availability" for good security practice and that is a recipe for disaster.
Let's take a look at the example of the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) that suffered a so called Denial of Service Attack on its Census website back in August 2016. Thousands of Australian were prevented from taking part in the census (including myself) which overloaded the website.
Attacking "availability" certainly put a dent into this Government led initiative that was highly embarrassing and may have placed any future online projects on hold such as online voting for many years to come.
Importantly, the resulting consequence from the fallout of this Census fiasco has placed the Australian public lacking confidence with Government led initiatives.
October 2016: The Red Cross Data Breach
The personal data of 550,000 blood donors that includes information about their names, gender, date of birth, address" has been leaked from the Red Cross Blood Service.
This should NEVER have happened for an organisation like Red Cross Blood Service which is responsible for taking care of very sensitive and personally identifiable information, unfortunately, it did.
We all mistakes, we're human. However, leaving sensitive data on a public exposed web server is as bad practice – It's as bad, some may say as irresponsible as it gets when it comes to security fumbles.
Where are the necessary controls and checks?
The ramifications of the spill of donor data range from identity theft to possible blackmail. Worse still, people could be dissuaded from donating blood if they fear their details won't be kept safe.
A breach of "confidentiality" is serious. Lives are at stake and many executives of similar organisations which hold very sensitive information just do NOT understand the ramifications.
What is alarmingly serious, most organizations do not understand where their key data is, let alone what it is and how sensitive it is. Another recipe for disaster.
Yes, digital collaboration is at the heart of every business process - files are created, stored and shared at a rapid pace. But it seems nearly impossible to keep track of who has and needs access to all of this information, and who doesn't.
Organisations tend to think their data access is under control, but dig a little deeper and holes start to appear. Most organizations grant access readily, yet revoke it infrequently. So, don't assume that only the human resources group can see the human resources data, or that an employee who left the company last month had all her permissions revoked. This rarely is the case.
The next case in point, Wells Fargo Bank , the second largest bank in the U.S., deceived over 1.5 million of Americans over many years. Imagine paying fees on a ghost account you didn't even sign up for? The phony accounts earned the bank unwarranted fees and allowed Wells Fargo to boost their sales figures and make more money in fees and commissions.
The way it worked was employees moved funds from customers' existing accounts into newly-created ones without their knowledge or consent.
The scope of the scandal is shocking. Over 5,300 Wells Fargo employees have been fired. The CEO stepped down. Wells Fargo slapped with a $185 million fines. And plenty of reputation damage to deal with.
Let's be clear, the attack on "integrity" is very difficult to spot. Hidden within the large volume of daily system changes are the few that can impact the organisation operations and viability. These include unexpected changes to a file's credentials, privileges, hash value, changes that cause a configuration's values or ranges and properties to fall out of alignment with security policy.
Which brings me to my final point. In a recent survey conducted by CEB revealed,
90% of employees violate policies designed to prevent data breach .
When conveniences and productivity are chosen over security, employees put sensitive data at risk. It's no surprise to see employees will often try and work around controls.
Verizon 2015 Data Breach Incident Report stated, 90% of all incidents are people related. Whether it's goofing up, getting infected, behaving badly, or losing stuff.
People are the greatest risk to organisations.
Therefore, our focus in protecting our assets, must address confidentiality, integrity and availability in equal measures. More importantly, it must address the user risk.
This is not a technology problem but a people problem.
What can you do about PREVENTING INTERNAL DATA BREACHES?
If you want to place the appropriate plans to mitigate these internal threats, known as ' Insider Threats '. you must approach it from a strategic point of view.
A tactical approach or a silver bullet solution as we have seen in some of the above examples, only partially works and usually adds to the overall costs without really providing return of investment or a long-term solution.
Therefore, the best approach is to develop and implement an Insider Threat Program.
The key components of an Insider Threat Program are necessary to prepare organisations for handling insider attacks in a consistent, timely, and quality manner.
If you want to address the confidentiality, integrity and availability on your assets, you must address Insider Threats in equal measures. An Insider Threat Program provides a robust, repeatable set of processes that organisation can use to prevent or detect suspicious activity and to resolve malicious incidents.
Need Help To Implement an Insider Threat Program?
If you are you looking to place appropriate Internal Security Controls to mitigate Insider Threats, and are not sure where to begin, CommsNet Group can certainly help you. This is what we do.
CommsNet Group team has many years of experience delivering improved internal security plans ranging from; Insider Threat workshops, Insider Threat Assessments, Insider Threat Hunting to helping organisations build a comprehensive Insider Threat Program.
To learn more about CommsNet Group services, please Click on the link below to contact the:
According to CERT-US, a security incident is the act of violating an explicit or implied security policy according to NIST Special Publication 800-61. Of course, this definition relies on the existence of a security policy that, while generally understood, varies among organizations.
These include but are not limited to:
Security incident response has become an important component for organisation programs. Cybersecurity related attacks have become not only more numerous and diverse but also more damaging and disruptive.
Preventive activities based on the results of risk assessments can lower the number of incidents, but not all incidents can be prevented.
And despite organisation being proactive and implementing security measures to ensure the protection of their key assets, no one is immune to a security breach.
Now what?
The typical first step in reacting to a breach is to determine what caused the breach in the first place. This is where an "investigator" steps in to the picture. The purpose of the investigator is to establish the cause so that one can rectify the issue and not let it happen again. Once it has been addressed, organisations can implement an action plan to deal with preventing it from happening again.
Investigators can also be used to investigate "suspicious" circumstances or for a need for a deeper in depth view of the situation.
Now here is the challenge. In my many discussions with a number of the large enterprise organisations, I have often asked them whether they have an Insider Threat Program Manager in place. The usual response is:
"No, I don't…. But I have an investigation team"
That's great. It's the first step, important and critical but one that does not focus fully on potential mitigating Insider Threats within an organisation.
So what is the difference between having a security investigator as part of your team and having an Insider Threat Team?
Let's define what and "Investigator" role is:
Investigators work at times under difficult and confidential circumstances, they must have the ability to work with, interact with, question and report to all levels of the organisation while maintaining integrity and following prescribed investigation methodologies capable of court challenge. The investigator's role is critical to the company when faced with a security breach or suspects a violation of laws against its own policies & regulations.
Let's define what an Insider Threat Program is:
The key
components of an Insider Threat Program are necessary to prepare
organisations for handling insider attacks in a consistent, timely, and quality
People working within an organisation can pose a substantial threat due to their knowledge of and access to their organisation systems and information. They can easily bypass physical and electronic security measures through their legitimate means of every day work.
Now consider your technical IT administrator.
They have typically all the privileges to access any asset within your business.
Potentially, they also have the ability to hold your business to ransom .
They can:
They can destroy your business should they want.
Consider the following scenario (based on a true story)
A network administrator designed and created the network for a major US city, was the only person who fully understood how the network ran, and also had ALL the administrative passwords for all the critical assets.
After being reprimanded for poor performance and for threatening co- workers, he was reassigned to a different role. However, he refused to provide the passwords to his replacement and was subsequently terminated and then arrested.
The city was unable to access those critical network assets for a full 12 days. Fortunately, during that time, the infrastructure continued operating normally.
It was also discovered the administrator had installed rogue access points enabling him to log-in remotely. In addition, he had programmed the network devices to fail if anyone attempted to reset them without the administrative passwords.
Do you have an
IT manager or even and administrator who is potentially holding your business
These crimes are committed by technically sophisticated system administrators. Unfortunately, this is an all too common occurrence.
There are many behavioural "precursors" an individual can sometimes exhibit prior to performing his malicious activities. Often, disgruntlement commences with the onset of concerning behaviours in the workplace.
Some examples include:
Behavioural changes are sometimes the result of unmet expectations, such as:
The Hidden problem(s)
Hidden problems, unknown and undetected by the organisation present a set of serious and sometimes devastating risks, potentially compromising an organisation entirely.
1. Many of the insider offenders (IT administrators) were
clearly heading down the path to termination through the escalation of a series
of concerning behaviours and associated sanctions.
When these offenders leave, organisations mistakenly assume the problem had disappeared with their termination.
Unfortunately, the problems persist because the organisations had no visibility the offenders had setup remote backdoor accounts, installed rogue software on the network, downloaded malicious code/tools and had installed remote network administrator tools.
2. Organisations often try and sanction users for their disruptive
behaviour and poor performance by demotion, changing their roles, removing
their responsibilities.
This only exacerbates the negative behaviour and makes the situation worse.
3. Excessive trust provided to employees, combined with inconsistent enforcement of organisation policies, allowed IT administrators to subject the organisation to "ransom" like behaviour.
4. Lack of insight by CEO's to fully comprehend the problem until it is too late and thereby placed their organisation at serious risk
Insiders who sabotage their organisation often leads to serious business loss and sometimes complete shutdown.
Consider an organisation the size of 100 people. Imagine if this business was shut down for five (5) business working days. The loss of business revenue is calculated as follows:


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Track and Field: Former Warrior Kosobud wins MIAC honor
College of St. Benedict first-year mid-distance runner Allison Kosobud of Brainerd earned MIAC Indoor Track Athlete of the Week honors on Tuesday.
Kosobud smashed a school record in the mile run last weekend, helping the Blazer track and field team to a win at the St. Benedict Triangular. She posted a 5:02.79 to win the event by 20 seconds, and break the old record by nearly 10 seconds.
Her time leads the MIAC and ranks 12th in Division III this season.
Kosobud also set a school record in the 1000-meter earlier this season, with her 2:54.28 on Feb. 7.
The mile record is her second school record in her first season. She also set the school mark in the 1,000-meter run earlier this season. She also has the league's top time in the 1,000 in 2014.
The Blazers will be in action this weekend as they co-host a meet at St. John's indoor facility in Collegeville. The meet starts at 11 a.m.
Kosobud and teammates have just two regular-season events left to prepare for the MIAC Indoor Track and Field Championships, which they will co-host with the Johnnies March 7-8.


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Sequin Fair Isle Sweater
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What the retailer says
The Fair Isle sweater just got even more festive thanks to a row of sparkly sequins. Brilliant. Relaxed fit. Hits slightly below hip. Lambswool. Rib trim at neck, cuffs and hem. Hand wash. Import.


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Honey House 3
Select your stay dates to check availability
Honey House 3
About the hotel
Property Location
When you stay at Honey House 3 in Pattaya, you'll be near the beach and convenient to Jomtien Beach and Muang Pattaya Public Park. This beach hotel is within close proximity of Let's Relax Spa and Pattaya Floating Market.
Make yourself at home in one of the 35 air-conditioned rooms featuring refrigerators and flat-screen televisions. Complimentary wireless Internet access keeps you connected, and cable programming is available for your entertainment. Private bathrooms with showers feature rainfall showerheads and complimentary toiletries. Conveniences include phones, as well as safes and desks.
Breakfast is available for a fee.
Business, Other Amenities
Featured amenities include dry cleaning/laundry services, a 24-hour front desk, and an elevator (lift).
Hotel Facilities
- Total number of rooms - 35
- Breakfast available (surcharge)
- Free parking nearby
- Number of buildings/towers - 1
- 24-hour front desk
- Elevator/lift
- Designated smoking areas
- Number of floors - 5
- Dry cleaning/laundry service
- Offsite parking reservations required
- Free WiFi
Room Facilities
- Daily housekeeping
- Free WiFi
- Cable TV service
- Shower only
- Free bottled water
- Desk
- Phone
- Rainfall showerhead
- Free toiletries
- Private bathroom
- Air conditioning
- In-room safe
- Flat-panel TV
- Refrigerator
Hotel Policy
Know Before You Go
- One child 12 years old or younger stays free when occupying the parent or guardian's room, using existing bedding.
- No pets and no service animals are allowed at this property.


text: The way has been cleared for Andriy Shevchenko to join Chelsea after Milan failed to convince the striker to sign a contract that would have kept him in Italy until 2011. The 2004 European Footballer of the Year met Milan's vice-president Adriano Galliani yesterday and said he would be leaving the Rossoneri seven years after joining from Dynamo Kiev. "I tried to convince him until the very last second," Galliani said. "It is the most painful departure since I started to work for Milan." Shevchenko, 29, scored 173 goals for Milan - the second top-scorer in the history of the club after Gunnar Nordhal - and helped them win the Champions League in 2003 and the Scudetto in 2004. Chelsea's owner Roman Abramovich is reportedly ready to meet Milan's valuation of around £35m after failing to recruit Shevchenko on three occasions since he took over at Stamford Bridge in 2003


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GMB has been hugely critical of the way the Sellafield contract has been managed by Nuclear Management Partners (Report, 5 December). The people at the sharp end of this mismanagement are the 10,000 ordinary working men and women on the site. Our members employed there work in some of the most hazardous known environments, dealing with what is, in large part, a cold war legacy. Seemingly against the odds, NMP was recently awarded a contract extension. Did ministers ignore the recommendations of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority? Was it for ideological reasons, because the only viable alternative to a contract extension was to bring the work back in-house? We must not lose sight of the fact that there is a huge stockpile of plutonium on the site. As a society we will have hard choices. The only sensible thing to do is to use it for something socially useful – producing electricity.
Gary Smith
GMB nNational secretary, GMB commercial services section
• You outline the extensive costs as a consequence of failure to produce a comprehensive cradle-to-grave plan when the original nuclear plants and the Sellafield site were built. As the UK begins a new generation of reactors, spent fuel and radioactive waste management must remain a priority. The UK's stockpile of plutonium was planned to be reused as fuel in fast reactors, but we ended our fast-reactor research programme in the late 1990s and instead opted for indefinite storage of the stockpile. However, security and cost make this an unacceptable long-term option.
Other technically mature options, such as reusing the plutonium as new mixed oxide (mox) fuel in reactors, must be explored. Planning for the long-term, the government must keep open the full range of options for using the stockpile and managing future waste by reconsidering its participation in international fast-reactor research programmes.
Professor Roger Cashmore
Chair, Royal Society report Fuel Cycle Stewardship in a Nuclear Renaissance
• Your article says that I "leaked" the KPMG report on Sellafield mismanagement to the Commons' public accounts committee. I did not leak the report, as I had legitimately obtained it via a freedom of information request from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority three days before the first hearing of the PAC on Sellafield mismanagement last month. When I learned of the hearing, on the morning it was due to take place, I decided that the parliamentary committee charged with overseeing the value-for-money of the expenditure of our taxes by public bodies should be aware of this report before it held its hearing with NDA and Department of Energy and Climate Change witnesses, so I emailed it to the chair, Margaret Hodge MP, and the clerk to the PAC. The distinction is a very important one.
Dr David Lowry
Stoneleigh, Surrey
• I'm pleased that, after parliament's inadequate scrutiny of the exorbitantly expensive Hinkley Point nuclear reactor project, we are going to see proper consideration of UK nuclear new build by the European commission (Report, 2 December). Our organisation has joined with parliamentarians and other groups to sign a letter to the EU opposing the deal. It notes that "in terms of competition within the EU, state aid for nuclear power in the UK is entirely at odds with the coming single market for electricity in the EU and with the principle that there should be free movement of goods and services throughout the region. It is bad for the development, throughout Europe, of effective alternatives – renewables and energy conservation – which are ready to go, cheaper than nuclear power, and very much quicker to build." . That is why Germany, Austria and other EU states oppose nuclear power and why the deal should be rejected by the European commission. Rather than cutting more than 10,000 jobs from the energy efficiency sector, we should be investing further in sustainable energy.
Councillor Mark Hackett
Chair, Nuclear Free Local Authorities


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This None home is located at 182 Creed Hestand Rd in Moss. 1648410 was built in 2008 and has 3 bedrooms182 Creed Hestand Rd, Moss - MLS 1648410 Close
Residential property for sale in Moss, TN at 182 Creed Hestand Rd. This 3 bedroom residential property is priced at $103/sqft.
Ranch Hm w/ 3BD,2BA,1500 SQ FT, full bsmt, open concept, stainless steel appliances nook, Knotty pine interior, decks, in the country with 3.21 ac, 30X50 metal barn building (4 car garage), modest restric, close to lakes and shopping.
Listing information last updated on May 28th, 2017 at 5:24am CDT.
Have any comments or questions about 182 Creed Hestand Rd, Moss, TN? Ask your question and/or share your thoughts about this property.


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Candidates should be degree-level educated or equivalent in Engineering, Electronics, Avionics or relevant discipline.
Demonstrated experience in aircraft avionics design and/or a related customer service role in aviation/aerospace engineering essential.
Strong technical background in PC networks and configuration, multiplexed or software controlled systems with an understanding of computer hardware.
Strong Microsoft Office skills with experience in LINUX and UNIX an advantage.
Familiarity with EASA/ GCAA/CASA requirements is desirable.
Sound verbal and written communications skills.
Company Name: Panasonic
Position: Freshers Customer Support Engineer
Education: B.E/B.Tech
Experience: Freshers
Location: Pune
Company Profile:
Panasonic Corporation is a worldwide leader in the development and engineering of electronic technologies and solutions for customers in residential, non-residential, mobility and personal applications. Since its founding in 1918, the company has expanded globally and now operates over 500 consolidated companies worldwide, recording consolidated net sales of 7.85 trillion yen for the year ended March 31, 2012. Committed to pursuing new value through innovation across divisional lines, the company strives to create a better life and a better world for its customers.
How to Apply:
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Name: Fast Cash Biz
Website: fastcash.biz
Price: "Free" with a catch
Type: Binary Options & Trading
Rank: 0/100 – Scam.
What Is It?
This latest binary trading product called FastCash.Biz claims to hold the secrets to unlimited wealth, hence the name Fast Cash Biz. It isn't surprising they've come up with a name like Fast Cash. It almost screams out "get rich quick scheme" right away and is nevertheless, a product that I find to be devious in its tactics and misleading with its information.
This system basically consists of a binary trading product that claims to predict binary trading signals to let you in on which options are the best to trade on. But is Fast Cash Biz legit ,and can it make you money? While you can certainly make money with binary trading, Fast Cash Biz isn't going to help you do that because it's software is totally bogus, along with all the fake testimonials that go along with the product.
How Much Is It?
The first area this product tries to get you in on is the price. They claim that you can sign-up completely free, when in-fact you really need to pay a $250 minimum deposit in order to fund your account and begin trading. It's unbelievable how far these guys go in trying to convince you that the product is legitimate. Just take a look at the testimonials and fake checks.
FastCash.Biz isn't the only product of its kind to do this. There are binary schemes all over the internet similar to Fast Cash Biz that try and guarantee you that same thing. Sure the software itself might be free to use, but you'll still need to make a minimum $250 deposit. They even claim to give you a $10,000 matching bonus to trade with. But that's only assuming you put up $10,000 out of your own pocket. Isn't it also ironic how the software itself is supposedly free, when they make claims of it being able to turn you into a millionaire?
99% Success Rate?
But more importantly, Fast Cash Biz claims to be earning the average person $10,000 a day. What they don't tell you are the many risks involved within binary trading and that this result is in no way typical. Even though you can make money with binary trading, you can lose just as much, if not more. In order to make money with binary trading, you need to put up money. It's a risky situation that binary products like Fast Cash have done a pretty good job exploiting.
Fast Cash Biz is explicitly lying to us telling us here that their software is 99% accurate. Just about every binary trading product I have seen to date tries to claim they have the best trading software out there. The truth here is that every one of these binary trading softwares are exactly the same. There isn't the slightest difference between any one of them.
In addition, these softwares cannot predict any binary signals. The only thing these binary softwares are good at doing is taking your money and dispersing them on trades for you.. In other words, FastCash.Biz won't be making you any "fast cash" anytime soon.
FastCash.Biz Red Flags
Fast Cash Biz has a number of red flags that are worth pointing out and really point to the fact it's a complete scam.
#1. User Testimonials – Claims that it can make you millions of dollars in only 90 days time, which is a huge red flag of the Fast Cash Biz system. Any product that tries to claim it can earn you millions in just a few months only means that you're more than likely going to lose money with the product.
#2. "2 Fast Cash Biz Spots Left"- Why would there only be 2 spots left and how come every time I've revisited the site, it tells me the same exact thing. It's nothing more than a marketing ploy to instill a fear of loss. It's pushing you into thinking you should buy it soon before it sells out. But don't worry, the product isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
#3. Activating Your Broker Account – This is the biggest red flag of all insisting that you join with their broker account. This is what really solidifies the fact that Fast Cash Biz is a scam and the reason why is because this where you'd be depositing that $250. In-turn, because you signed up with Fast Cash Biz as your binary broker, they resultantly end up with a nice hefty commission on each and every deposit you make.
Can It Make You "Fast Cash"?
To summarize this product, it does not have the capability nor resources to earn you a legitimate income. In-fact the majority of binary trading products I have seen promising to make you quick cash, always ends up in bad news. Binary trading itself is a very difficult way of making money and can be seen as nothing more than a 50/50 gamble.
It's easy to see why so many binary products have come out in recent years and that's due to the number of individuals who end up losing with the system. Turning to a product like Fast Cash isn't going to help you recoup your costs or become a millionaire in 90 days. It's no different then products promising to make you money at the push of a button, claiming you don't need any experience at all. In other words, this one is a scam that should be avoided at all costs.
Thanks for reading this post. If you have any comments and/or questions, please leave them below!