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In July of this year, leftist Feminists were openly, and proudly, rooting for an abortion to be portrayed on prime-time television. And in April of this year, leftist Feminists like Jessica Valenti of Feministing were grossly bemoaning the fact that Mtv's show, 16 and Pregnant, did not portray any teenage girls having abortions. They wanted sixteen year old girls to have abortions. On television. Way to be pro-woman and For The Children ™, faux feminists! By For The Children, I of course mean totally not at all for the children – unless they can be used and exploited to further an agenda, natch. You see, it's never actually about women nor children to them; it's always about an agenda and an ideology that treats motherhood as a yoke around a woman's neck. Motherhood is so old school and oppressive and stuff! What with those pesky children wanting to be nurtured and loved, while providing a joy that fills one's heart so full that it cannot be adequately put into words. Well, and wanting to, you know, live. Who do they think they are?
On Tuesday night, they got their wish. Mtv ran a special called "No Easy Decision", in which Markai, a girl who had previously appeared on 16 and Pregnant, learned that she was pregnant again.
And she terminated the pregnancy baby's life.
I watched the "special", even though I didn't think that I needed to do so in order to point out how wrong such a show is on so many levels. But, unlike Ana Marie Cox, I don't like to talk about things that I have neither read nor watched, nor do I like to do things half-assedly. And, it turns out, the show was even worse than I suspected it would be. It was infuriating and horrifying, almost beyond words. It was also heartbreaking beyond belief. My heart aches for Markai, and for the other girls (Natalia and Katie) who appeared in the discussion portion of the show.
The pro-abortion rah-rah sisterhood, of course, praised it immediately, which should indicate just how strong the show's bias was. If you needed any further proof than the fact that the show was aired commercial-free, in partnership with Exhale, a group who says that they wish to raise awareness that abortion "is normal in the reproductive lives of women and girls." Yes, every woman's "reproductive life" (love the fancy-pants euphemism) includes the killing of an unborn child. You women who don't have abortions? Total abnormal freaks! Just look at Sarah Palin, for cripes sake. Wingnuts!
The show was entirely agenda-driven and these young girls were sickly used and exploited for that purpose only. The token nod to a pro-life position was a quick question in the discussion panel: "Did you consider adoption?" One of the girls said that wouldn't have been an option because it wasn't the baby part that was scary; it was that pregnancy is icky. She had an abortion to avoid pregnancy symptoms. She also spoke of the sacrifices (her word) that she had to make to pay the $750.00 abortion fee. Her prom ticket, for one.
Sacrifice was a running theme, except it appears that the word has lost any real meaning. The girls spoke of not wanting to sacrifice their college plans. Or of not wanting their partners to sacrifice by having to work two jobs to support another child. And Markai spoke of not wanting her living infant child to "sacrifice for my mistake." Such rationales were among the most heartbreaking because it's what we've been teaching our youth with society's insidious entitlement mentality. There is no right to life, but there is a right to college and a right to not be poor. We can't put a child through going without food or losing electricity for a few days; losing one's LIFE is far preferable.
It's also another example of how leftist feminists actually think very little of women and how pervasive their disturbing mindset has become. To them, a woman is incapable of having it all. A pregnant woman or a mother is incapacitated to the point where she can't even read a book or attend classes, apparently. They've turned college into a need; one can't meet their twisted ideas of equality without it. They've placed a higher value on an increasingly meaningless piece of paper than on life itself and are trying to teach our daughters the same. Plus, why is college a make or break situation? Is a woman somehow lesser if she doesn't get a college degree? They must think I'm a third class citizen!
The incredibly harmful lies propagated during "No Easy Decision" were matched only by the awful truths about the pro-abortion agenda that the show unintentionally unmasked. Pro-abortionist Lynn Harris, at Salon, exposed one such awful truth and, worse, actually praised it:
Here's Dr. Drew opening the show — and racking up stunned "FTW!"s (For The Win!) on Twitter right out of the gate: "About 750,000 girls in the U.S. get pregnant every year. And although nearly a third of these teen pregnancies result in abortion, we've never shown this choice on '16 and Pregnant' up until now. It can be a polarizing topic, and there's quite frankly no way to talk about this and please everyone. Although controversial to some, abortion is one of the three viable options, and it's among the safest, most common medical procedures in the U.S., so we thought it was important for us to discuss."
Among the most common "medical procedures" in the United States. So much for that safe, legal and rare thing, huh? That lie has been completely exposed already and there are over 50 million dead fetuses that attest to that fact. They don't want it to be rare; they want it to be the default option as No Easy Decision, and the glee-ridden leftist feminist response to it, clearly shows. In fact, they want it to be "normal" and common. And will outright lie in order to accomplish this. Markai was told by the abortion clinic counselor as she was being prepped for the abortion, "do not think of 'it' as ten fingers and ten toes or anything like that or you will get too depressed. Think of 'it' as what 'it' is: a ball of cells." I suppose that's why children are not even allowed in the waiting room of the clinic; don't want any of those pesky balls of cells running around confusing people.
A ball of cells. Also,wait a minute? Why would one ever risk feeling depressed? According to pro-abortionists, it's no big whoop and there is nothing sad about it. It's a relief, you see! Dr. Drew himself told the girls that they may be confused and stuff, but no big whoop. In two years most women realize it was the right decision. There's a time frame and everything! In two years, all will be hunky-dory. That didn't appear to be the case with the girls on the show, particularly Markai. Her confusion, and her pain, were palpable. Her boyfriend, the father of her living child as well, took her out to dinner after the abortion and referred to the unborn baby that was aborted as "a thing." Markai became extremely upset and said "that thing could have turned out to be her" and pointed to their living infant child. I guess the lie about the "ball of cells" didn't work for her. I don't think it ever will; I ache for Markai.
Much was also made about how terrible it is that sometimes an abortion is made slightly more difficult to obtain. During the panel discussion, Natalia complained about how hard it is to have to "beg a judge for permission to make your own decision", due to parental consent laws. She did receive a judicial bypass. The reason? She didn't want to tell her parents and disappoint them. How on earth does that constitute a reason for a judicial bypass of parental consent? How does it supersede parental rights? That judge should be thrown off the bench. Worse, Natalia went without the love and support of her family in a time when she needed it most. Where is the compassion there? Where is the "informed" choice? Salon jumped right on the parental consent laws, calling them cruel. They also went onto say this:
(In an extended interview available online, Natalia also describes the cruelty of being legally forced to view the pre-procedure ultrasound.)
Cruelty? If actual informed choice, instead of lip service informed choice, is cruel. See, that whole ball of cells lie won't work if a woman sees the actual baby. Of course, to Lynn Harris at Salon and pro-abortionists like her, that is cruel, yet there's nothing cruel about making life expendable nor about disposing of a life before he or she even had a chance at A life. That matters naught to leftists. The only people who think the fear of being grounded by their parents is more important than a life itself are people who remain immature and child-like their entire lives. To wit, leftists. They never grew up, they never stopped rebelling against their parents. And they are attempting to teach the same to each subsequent generation. Don't tell your parents! A super awesome nanny state judge will let you do whatever you want, decency be damned. It's funny how much they dislike mommies and daddies, but they love them some Nannies.
They also love to give lip service without actually doing anything. Exhale set up a site called 16 and Loved. It was set-up to allegedly shield the girls from those wingnutty people who, you know, don't rejoice over abortion. How cuckoo pants! Meanwhile, the whole 16 and loved website is all about praising the girls for "outing" their abortions. Because, empowerment.
What the girls really need is actual support. They've been lied to and now, on top of that, they've been used and exploited, even if with their consent, to push an agenda. I don't wish to do them further harm. My heart breaks for them. When they realize what they have done, and they will, the pain of their regret, remorse and guilt will be compounded by the knowledge that they did this all publicly and on display. This is the mentality the girls have been taught. In a way, they are actually victims themselves and now that they've served their purpose to the left, they'll just be tossed aside.
You see, it's pro-life people who don't judge and who provide meaningful support. It's pro-life people who acknowledge the pain and harm abortion also causes to women and who seek ways to embrace them and help them. Pro-abortionists deny their very existence. They deny, always, the trauma that abortion may also cause to the woman. They deny the life-long guilt and pain those women bear. They deny the very fact that a life was sucked from his or her mother's womb, mercilessly. Never once feeling a loving touch. Never once gazing into his mother's eyes. Never once raising a tiny hand to touch his mommy's cheek with a love that cannot even truly be expressed.
That's your legacy, Gloria Steinem, and that of your fellow travelers. A legacy that is a stain on the heart and soul of our country. A legacy that we must not let continue onto yet another generation. You do not "empower" girls by telling them the life they create can be tossed aside for college. You do not empower girls by telling them a sacrifice is giving up a prom ticket to pay for the aborting of the life they created. You do not empower girls by turning motherhood into a burden to be avoided at all costs; even at the cost of that life itself. You do not empower girls by exploiting them to further your agendas.
Abortion will not, and should not, ever be "normal." Because, Motherhood is normal to humans and so is nurturing. Rejoicing in the miracle of giving life yourself and then nurturing that life once given. That is within us; it's instinct and female human nature. It is something of which to be proud and it should be honored, not diminished. It is an attribute and a gift, not a punishment.
If Markai, Natalia and Katie realize this one day, I fear that their pain and guilt will be nearly unbearable. Not only were lives lost, but other lives were potentially traumatized forever. Somehow, I don't think MTv, nor 16 and Loved will be there for them then. And that's yet another horrifying aspect of No Easy Decision.
cross-posted from NewsReal


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Two big dance shows of the 2014-15 season celebrated wins at the Fred and Adele Astaire Awards on June 1. An American in Paris choreographer and director Christopher Wheeldon and On the Town's Joshua Bergasse tied for Best Choreographer.
Additionally, Robert Fairchild and Tony Yazbeck, the leading men of An American in Paris and On the Town, respectively, tied for Best Male Dancer. An American in Paris' Leanne Cope took home the title of Best Female Dancer. Akram Khan was also award Best Choreographer in a Feature Film for Desert Dancer.
The ceremony was held at New York University's Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. As previously reported, Tony and Oscar winner Joel Grey and Finding Neverland producer Harvey Weinstein received the special Lifetime Achievement Award and the Outstanding Contribution to Musical Theatre and Film Award, respectively.
The Astaire Awards is the only awards show to honor excellence in dance and choreography on Broadway and in film. They were first started in 1982 by the late Fred Astaire and Douglas Watt.

subset: commoncrawl


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Last week I discussed the tendency for policymakers to treat the Pentagon like a giant jobs program. It was prompted by an article from the Associated Press on members of Congress shoving unwanted upgraded Abrams tanks down taxpayers' throats because retooling tanks sustains jobs back in the district. As it turns out, former Reagan budget director David Stockman touches on the Abrams tank situation in his new book, The Great Deformation.
In Chapter 5 – "Triumph of the Warfare State" – Stockman gives an account of the behind-the-scenes dealings that resulted in the massive military buildup during the Reagan administration. Stockman says political calculations – and not "one scintilla of bottoms-up program detail or even a single hour of professional analysis" – drove the new Reagan administration to champion 7 percent (real) growth in defense spending every year for five years (1982-1986), and from a already elevated level. According to Stockman, the "7 percent real growth top line" was a "blank check" for the Pentagon to go on a spending binge – much to the pleasure of the military-industrial complex.
From p. 74:
No fresh start or strategically coherent defense plan was ever developed by the Reagan administration. This immense, content-free "top line" was simply backfilled by the greatest stampede of Pentagon log-rolling and budget aggrandizement by the military-industrial complex ever recorded.
In a process that went on week after week for the better part of a year, the huge swaths of empty budget space under the new defense "top line" were converted into more and more of virtually everything that inhabited the Pentagon's vasty deep. Much of it, which had languished for years and decades on the wish lists of the brass and military contractors, now got funded without much ado.
With defense funds being virtually slopped onto the waiting plates of the four military services, it is not surprising that much of it went to the conventional forces. Notwithstanding all the scary stories about the nascent Soviet nuclear first-strike capabilities, there really weren't many concrete programs to counter it except for a new strategic bomber and an MX missile upgrade.
At the heart of the Reagan defense buildup, therefore, was a great double shuffle. The war drums were sounding a strategic nuclear threat that virtually imperiled American civilization. Yet the money was actually being allocated to tanks, amphibious landing craft, close air support helicopters, and a vast conventional armada of ships and planes.
These weapons were of little use in the existing nuclear standoff, but were well suited to imperialistic missions of invasion and occupation. Ironically, therefore, the Reagan defense buildup was justified by an Evil Empire that was rapidly fading but was eventually used to launce elective wars against an Axis of Evil which didn't even exist.
That leads to the Abrams tank.
From pp. 77-78:
The two big land war programs launched during the Reagan build-up – the upgraded Abrams Tank and the Bradley Fighting Vehicle – experienced a similar untoward evolution. At the time of the Reagan top line windfall in 1981, there was ferocious debate among the experts as to whether a new, more expensive generation of the M1 tank should be developed.
Yet issues of cost and efficiency were no longer even debatable after the 7 percent growth top line became operative on January 30, 1981. The empty space in DOD's new $1.46 trillion plan was so vast that both programs were sucked into its budget like air rushing into a vacuum. Over the next decade 7,000 Bradley's and 6,000 M1 Abrams tanks were procured – useless weapons against a Soviet nuclear strike, but ideal missions of invasion and occupation.
Moreover, once Bradley and Abrams productions lines were open, the odds of closing them down were between slim and none. Armored battlefield vehicles consist of an intensive mix of iron, precision machining, and complex electronic components and circuitry – which is to say, they are a "jobs program" par excellence.
The case can be seen in Lima, Ohio, where the M1 tank line refuses to shut down – 40 years after the 7 percent top line brought it unnecessarily to life. Since then all of the nation's industrial enemies have either expired, as in the case of the Soviets, or retired to civilian life, as in the case of China.
What passes for a state-based enemy is a nation of 78 million deeply unhappy citizens ruled by twelfth-century mullahs, who major act of aggression over the past thirty years was to repel an attack by its Iraqi neighbor with twelve-year-old soldiers carrying stick rifles. Still, the military-industrial complex manages to keep retooling, upgrading, and modernizing its fleet of 9,000 Abrams tanks as if the Berlin crisis of 1961 never ended.
Agree with Stockman or not, one can't deny that he's a colorful writer!
- Grand Bargains and Budget Battles - August 8, 2013
- Feds and the States Tag-Teaming on Corporate Welfare - July 29, 2013
- Economic Development Administration Goes 'Rambo' on Itself - July 12, 2013


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But computers have major consequences for the "demand" side of the equation: what viewers want.
We have already witnessed the first primitive applications of computers to understanding what kind of art viewers like and why:
1. In 1994, artists Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid conducted a statistical analysis to calculate the ideal painting for U.S. audiences. They discovered that 60% of the population preferred paintings that are "realistic looking" while 88% preferred outdoor scenes featuring lakes or rivers. 53% preferred paintings to have visible brush strokes. Komar and Melamid "translated the numbers into paint on canvas." Their analysis produced the following picture:
2. Information technology is being used to rank the greatest artworks of the 20th century: Economist David Galenson has proposed quantitative methods to rank art, such as the number of times pictures appear in art history textbooks. Other economists, such as Michael Rushton and Charles Gray feel this approach shows great promise. Says Gray: "We all want to believe that there is something special about the arts but I don't buy that there is any difference between artistic and economic value."
3. Other computer scientists take a different approach, claiming that "with the use of mathematics, computers and massive data bases of attractive faces, we have been able to quantify facial attractiveness in a consistent mathematical computer model...."
Building on historical archetypes of beauty, companies now claim to have calculated the formula for beauty and attractiveness: "it is a mathematical ratio that seems to appear recurrently in nature as well as other things that are seen as Beautiful. The Golden ratio is a mathematical ratio of 1.6180339887:1, and the number 1.6180339887 is called phi." Using computer programs and a trademarked "golden grid," an artist might tailor an image to what viewers would find most attractive.
But these early, sometimes laughable efforts have given way to more sophisticated applications of information technology. Rather than gathering raw data through telephone surveys the way Komar and Melamid did in 1994, science has gained the ability to monitor brain, blood, skin and other biological reactions to art. Until now, these nascent technologies (especially electroencephalography and infrared optical tomography) have found uses in the gaming and neuromarketing industries:
[neuromarketing is] a new field of marketing which studies consumers' sensorimotor, cognitive, and affective response to marketing stimuli. Researchers use technologies such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure changes in activity in parts of the brain, electroencephalography (EEG) to measure activity in specific regional spectra of the brain response, and/or sensors to measure changes in one's physiological state (heart rate, respiratory rate, galvanic skin response) to learn why consumers make the decisions they do, and what part of the brain is telling them to do it.Would a CGI picture evoke a better reaction if the hero's shirt was blue rather than red, or the heroine had longer hair? Would a CGI animated kiss come across as more passionate if it were five seconds longer or shorter?
Computers can identify the electrical activity in the brain that accompanies the thrill of seeing a good work of art. They monitor localized changes of oxy- and deoxy-hemoglobin concentrations in the brain in response to various images. With increasing precision, computers are likely to explain the pharmacological activity that accompanies a diverse range of artistic thrills.
From there, it will become much easier (and more efficient) to stimulate those same reactions by skipping over that obsolete middle man between the work of art and the audience: the artist, who struggled for centuries relying on nothing but highly fallible intuition.


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Hi-Tec HTS SHADOW RGS
Hi-Tec HTS SHADOW RGS
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The upper pattern is a modern-redesign of the original Silver Shadow (1981). Back in 1981, the Silver Shadow was worn by the recruits of the German and British army (MOD). HI-TEC®?'s functional Rollin Gait System (RGS) was developed by Vibram in collaboration with the HI-TEC®? product team in 2011. The Vibram Rollin Gait system sole unit has an innovative midsole and outsole combination that supports the natural movement of the foot to reduce muscle fatigue.
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Our return policy entitles you to return the product for any reason within 14 working days counting from the day you received the shoes. You can open the package and check the contents. However, the shoes can only be returned when they are completely unused, tagged and sent in the original packaging, double boxed.
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4" Silver Cross
This cross is handcrafted by Houston artist Barbara Biel. It is ready to hang on the wall or to be used as a decorative tabletop piece as a delight year round. It is approximately 3" x 4" x 1" deep. Since each piece is handcrafted, the size and shape may vary slightly from the photo seen here. (Please note, crosses do not stand up vertically on a table.)
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When behavior of dogs is undesirable, there are three levels of consideration: 1) Behaviors within the normal range for the species, age, and breed. In these cases, the owners need guidance on how to effectively manage the behaviors. 2) Behaviors more difficult or challenging, because they might fall within or just beyond the range of what is considered normal but are particularly intense or difficult to manage. Examples include mouthing, urine marking, mounting, barking, chasing, predation, or overactivity. Also in this category might be what could be normal for the breed but unsuitable for the family and home (ie, mismatch). These cases require behavior assessment and counseling to ensure the owners have a realistic understanding of what might be achieved and to implement treatment strategies, including environmental management and behavior modification, to achieve an acceptable level of improvement for both the owners and the pet. 3) Behaviors that are abnormal or pathologic, as a result of emotional disorders or mental health issues. These may have developed as a result of genetic factors, stressful perinatal environment (prenatal, neonatal), insufficient early socialization, medical conditions affecting brain health and development, or particularly traumatic environmental events. For these pets, the prognosis may be guarded, and owner expectations altered to achieve an acceptable outcome. Treatment generally requires both environmental management and behavioral modification, often in combination with medication (natural products, diet, drugs) to improve underlying pathology and facilitate learning.
The process to diagnose behavior problems and their treatment with behavior modification and drugs has been previously described ( see Treatment of Behavioral Problems Treatment of Behavioral Problems In production animals, treatment focuses on group management, environmental or housing modifications, and in some cases removing individual animals out of or to other groups. Specifics are covered... read more ). If the problem is determined to be a normal but undesirable behavior, the owners will need counseling on how to effectively provide for the pet's needs and how to reinforce what is desirable while preventing what is undesirable. For most canine behavior management problems, counseling from veterinary staff or trainers and quality resources are required, as well as hands-on guidance from a trainer. Trainers should be selected based on their credentials and screened to ensure they use reinforcement-based training techniques. Positive punishment−based techniques should not be used in training, because at best they serve only to suppress undesirable behavior and can lead to fear, avoidance, and even aggression. Management issues include inappropriate play (eg, nipping or mouthing of people); unruly behavior (eg, pulling, lunging, jumping up, mounting, overactivity); and some forms of barking, destructive behaviors, and housesoiling.
If the problem is determined to be an emotional disorder or abnormal behavior, resolution will require a combination of behavior modification techniques, modifications to the environment to prevent further problems, and medications to help reestablish a more normal mental state and facilitate new learning ( see Treatment of Behavioral Problems Treatment of Behavioral Problems In production animals, treatment focuses on group management, environmental or housing modifications, and in some cases removing individual animals out of or to other groups. Specifics are covered... read more ).
Fears and Phobias
Fear is a normal response to an actual or perceived threatening stimulus or situation. Anxiety is a response to fear and agitation, or apprehension when the animal anticipates a threat or fearful situation. Phobia is an exaggerated fear response ( see Phobia: Phobia: These activities show dysfunction in action and behavior. Alternatively, the terms behavior problem, behavior pathology, mental health disorder, or emotional disorders might be used. By comparison... read more ). The fear response may include panting and salivation, tucked tail, lowered ears, gazing away, low body posture, piloerection, vocalization, or displacement behaviors such as yawning or lip licking. While avoidance and escape is one strategy, some dogs use aggression to remove the fear-evoking stimulus and are reinforced by success (negative reinforcement).
Some of the more common presentations include the following: 1) fear of other dogs, especially those that are unfamiliar, appear threatening to the dog, or with which the dog has had an unpleasant experience; 2) fear of unfamiliar people, especially those who are novel or look, act, or smell different than those the dog is accustomed to (eg, young children); 3) fear of inanimate stimuli such as loud or unfamiliar noises (eg, construction work, trucks, gunshot), visual stimuli (eg, umbrellas, hats, uniforms), environments (eg, backyard, park, boarding kennel), surfaces (eg, grass, tile or wood floors, steps), or a combination of stimuli (eg, vacuum cleaners, car rides); and 4) fear of specific situations such as veterinary clinics or grooming parlors. Some dogs have a more generalized anxiety, in which the fearful reaction is displayed in a wide range of situations to which a "normal" pet would be unlikely to react. Although there can be a genetic component to fear and anxiety, prenatal and neonatal stressors, including maternal separation, lack of socialization (ie, unfamiliarity), or a previous unpleasant outcome during encounters with the stimulus (or similar stimuli), can also be causative factors.
Phobic responses in dogs are generally associated with loud noises (eg, thunder, fireworks, gunshots) and the stimuli associated with these events, including rain, lightning, and perhaps even static or pressure changes associated with a thunderstorm. Some fears (eg, veterinary clinics, going outdoors, entering certain rooms, or walking on certain types of flooring) may become so intense that they meet the definition of a phobia.
Separation Anxiety:
It is estimated that ~14% of dogs have separation anxiety, or an inability of the pet to find comfort when separated from family members. The problem may be primary (eg, hyperattachment, dysfunctional attachment) as the puppy ages and matures; in fact, the chances of the problem developing can be reduced by having puppies regularly spend time during the day on their own (preferably in a safe haven). In other cases, the anxiety about being left alone is secondary to an event such as a change in the household or dog's daily routine, or associated with an underlying state of anxiety along with other behavioral issues such as noise phobias and separation anxiety. Anxiety may lead to destructive behavior (particularly at exits or toward owner possessions), distress vocalization, housesoiling, salivation, pacing, restlessness, inability to settle, anorexia, and repetitive or compulsive behaviors. The behaviors are exhibited when the dog is left alone and generally arise within the first 15–30 min after departure. A video recording can be an invaluable diagnostic aid to visualize the behavior and determine whether there are other concurrent signs of anxiety (autonomic stimulation, increased motor activity, and increased vigilance and scanning). The diagnosis requires that other common causes of the signs be excluded (eg, incomplete housetraining, exploratory play and scavenging, external stimuli leading to arousal and anxiety, noise aversion, or confinement anxiety). Many pets with separation anxiety begin to exhibit signs as the owner prepares to depart (eg, putting on shoes, getting keys, going to the door). When the owner is home, the dog may crave constant contact or proximity to the owner. When the owner returns, the welcoming responses are commonly exaggerated and the dog is hard to calm down.
Abnormal Repetitive Behaviors
Abnormal repetitive behaviors may actually comprise a number of conditions with different pathogeneses, including compulsive disorders, stereotypies, neurologic disorders, and other forms of behavioral pathology. Therefore, until a diagnosis is made, the term abnormal repetitive behavior may better describe the clinical presentation.
Compulsive disorders may be repetitive, stereotypic, locomotory, grooming, ingestive, or hallucinogenic behaviors that occur out of context to the time and situation in which they take place, and occur in a frequency or duration that is excessive. There may be lack of control over onset or termination. Although it can be debated whether animals can obsess, they do perceive and experience concern; therefore, the term obsessive-compulsive has also been used to describe this disorder. The diagnosis should start with a description and observation of the behavior, including video recordings if necessary. Because there is likely a genetic component for many compulsive disorders, the signalment and age of onset is also important. For example, German Shepherds and Bull Terriers are known to spin or tail chase, while a genetic locus for flank sucking has been identified in Doberman Pinschers. The problem may first arise as a displacement behavior when the dog is frustrated, conflicted, or highly aroused. Lack of predictability in the daily routine, alterations in the environment, unpredictable consequences, lack of sufficient outlets for normal behaviors, and chronic or recurrent anxiety might be initiating factors. At this point, if the owners can teach appropriate acceptable alternative responses (eg, sitting before greeting or play as an alternative to spinning) and provide constructive alternatives (eg, feeding from toys), the problem might be resolved. However, as the frequency or intensity increases, the behavior may become compulsive. The diagnosis is considered to be a compulsive disorder when the behavior interferes with normal function or when it becomes independent of (or emancipated from) the inciting stimulus. There is likely altered serotonin transmission.
Stereotypies are defined as repetitive behaviors that are unvaried in sequence and have no obvious purpose or function. They may arise when the environment lacks sufficient outlets for the dog to engage in normal behaviors, or when caused by maternal deprivation or as a result of a neurologic disorder. It is possible that stereotypic behaviors, at least in their early stages, may provide a coping mechanism for the pet. Stereotypies might be induced by dopaminergic stimulation.
Although most dogs respond to drugs that inhibit serotonin reuptake including the SSRIs and clomipramine, alterations in other neurotransmitters may play a role, eg, dopamine, endorphins, N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA). Because medical problems might be the cause of the signs, these should first be excluded. In cases in which the physical examination, history, and diagnostic testing do not clearly identify the cause, a therapeutic response trial might be indicated (eg, anticonvulsants to exclude focal seizures as a cause of fly snapping or light chasing; clomipramine or fluoxetine to exclude compulsive disorders). Also see Table: Clinical Presentation and Medical Differentials for Compulsive Disorders Clinical Presentation and Medical Differentials for Compulsive Disorders .
Aggression is the most common problem in referral practices across North America, approximating 70% of the caseload. It is also a major human concern, because at least 5 million people are referred to the hospital each year in the USA alone for treatment of dog bites. Most forms of aggression, except for predation, are distance-increasing behavior (ie, the dog is attempting to actively increase the distance between itself and the stimulus). There are many types of aggressive behaviors with different motivations; however, fear, anxiety, conflict (uncertainty), genetics, and learned responses generally play a role in most cases; however, in some cases the behavior may be abnormal or pathologic. The effects of early development (prenatal, postnatal), socialization, and previous experience all play a role in development of aggression.
Aggression refers to threatening behavior or harmful attacks and can range from subtle changes in body posture, facial expressions, and vocalization to biting. Dogs that are easily aroused are at high risk of aggression, because their decision-making is affected by their physiologic state (ie, flight or fight). For treatment to be effective, the pet's anxiety and arousal must first be managed by avoiding situations or staying below the threshold at which aggression might arise. Some or all of a combination of reward-based training, behavior products that can help to better manage the pet, and medications to help achieve a behavioral state most conducive to new learning is required to successfully modify the behavior to achieve desirable outcomes and countercondition the pet to the stimuli that incite aggression.
Before treating aggression, the practitioner must assess the potential risk of injury. All stimuli that might incite aggression should be accurately identified to ensure initial safety. Predictability is a critical issue in prognosis, both to prevent further incidents and to develop a stimulus gradient for treatment. The signalment, environment, history, and target of the aggression also provide invaluable information as to whether the problem might be safely and effectively managed. The type of aggression is an additional factor: some can be managed and improved, whereas others require prevention. Finally, the clinician must assess the ability of the owner to effectively and safely prevent the problem. Aggression that is unpredictable, arises during relatively benign interactions, involves targets that cannot realistically avoid exposure to the aggressive dog (eg, young children, other household pets), or is performed by a large dog or in an uninhibited manner worsens the prognosis. Any medical condition that might cause or contribute to aggression must be identified, because they are important factors in diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. (See www.esvce.org for risk assessment guidelines.)
Fear-related Aggression:
Fear is the underlying cause of most forms of canine aggression. It is triggered by a stimulus that is threatening to the dog. When the aggression is a direct response to a challenge or confrontation, it might be referred to as defensive aggression. Fearful dogs may try to avoid the stimulus but become aggressive if they cannot escape (eg, leashed, confined, cornered, or physically grasped), are motivated to maintain their place (eg, on property, between the owner and stimulus, near food or toy), or if they learn that aggression is successful at removing the threat. Inadequate socialization, learning, genetics (temperament), reinforcement of aggressive behavior (eg, retreat of the stimulus), and associating a negative outcome with the stimulus (eg, punishment) can all lead to the development of fear-related aggression. The diagnosis is based on identifying signs of fear as well as the history beginning with the first event, because dogs can exhibit fear at the initial exposure but with time may display a more offensive form of aggression (without threats) when they learn it can be successful. (For treatment of fear-related and other types of aggression, see Treatment of Fears, Phobias, Anxiety, and Aggression Treatment of Fears, Phobias, Anxiety, and Aggression When behavior of dogs is undesirable, there are three levels of consideration: 1) Behaviors within the normal range for the species, age, and breed. In these cases, the owners need guidance... read more .)
Possessive Aggression (Resource Guarding):
Possessive aggression is most likely to arise when a person or an animal approaches the dog while it is in possession of something it wants to retain. Pets in the process of ingesting or chewing an object might be more likely to display aggression, but the behavior can also be seen in dogs near an object. Aggression is most commonly displayed when in possession of highly motivating food, treats, chew toys, stolen items, or even sleeping places. While genetics and early experience play a role in development, the relative value of the object to the pet and the threat of losing the object to another dog or person determine whether the pet is likely to be possessive. Items that are novel or scarce may be more desirable. Fear and defensive behavior also play a role if the owners threaten, punish, or confront the pet when it takes an object or has it in its mouth. The dog may also learn that it can successfully retain the object with aggression.
The problem might be prevented by tossing the puppy high-value treats whenever the owner approaches or passes by the food bowl, and by offering a high-value treat or toy whenever the puppy voluntarily gives up another toy or chew. Food bowls, toys, and chews should not be removed by confrontation, because this can contribute to an increase in anxiety and aggression when approached. In adult dogs, the problem should be managed by preventing access to these items or confining the dog when it is given items over which it might be possessive and by training the dog to give and drop on cue (beginning with items of low value for high-value rewards). If safety is an issue (ie, the dog may hurt itself by chewing on the item), it may be possible to trade the object for one of higher value. Providing more toys and multiple small meals (eg, in feeding toys) may reduce the value and novelty of the resource.
Play Aggression:
Aggressive play is a normal puppy behavior, which may persist into adulthood as a result of genetics, neotinization, and learning. When puppies play aggressively with other puppies, they may nip and bite but will generally resolve the conflicts among themselves. However, if the problem becomes excessive, owner intervention may be required to redirect the dog's activities into other forms of play (eg, feeding toys) or to interrupt the behavior with commands or a leash and head halter. If play with people escalates to biting, the interaction can be immediately stopped (negative punishment) and resumed when oral play ceases (positive reinforcement). Alternatively, a leash and head halter or verbal distraction ("off") can be used to interrupt play biting. In all interactions, the puppy should be taught to sit before given anything of value (eg, food, toys, affection). In addition, the puppy should be engaged in regular alternative acceptable forms of play, including fetch, tug games, and manipulation and chew toys. Punishment should not be used to stop play, because it can lead to fear of the owner, defensive aggression, or conflict-induced aggression, or serve as inadvertent reinforcement for some puppies.
Redirected Aggression:
Aggression is directed toward a third party when the dog is prevented or unable to exhibit aggression to its primary target. This type of aggression is most commonly described when the dog bites the owner as he or she grasps or restrains the dog when trying to prevent or break up a dog fight. Similarly, dogs that might be aggressive toward a veterinarian might bite the person restraining the dog. Redirected aggression arises as a result of the frustration or interruption of other forms of aggression or arousal.
Irritable/Conflict/Impulse Control Aggression:
Aggression directed toward family members is often mislabeled as dominance or status-related aggression. However, aggression toward family members generally arises from fearful or defensive behaviors, resource guarding, redirected behavior, or situations of conflict (competing emotional states and unpredictable consequences). In some dogs, the problem may be traced back to the owner's attempts to inhibit excessive play aggression (see above).
When a dog successfully uses aggression to achieve a goal (retaining a resource) or remove a threat, the pet learns that aggression is successful (negative reinforcement). If the owner continues to threaten, confront, challenge, or punish the pet, some dogs may inhibit their responses, but a large proportion become more aggressively defensive. When dogs are resting or sleeping, chewing on a favored object, or no longer desirous of human affection, they may respond with either deferent displays or threats. However, if the owner continues to approach, tries to remove the resource, or attempts to pet the dog despite its signaling, aggression may escalate and future signaling may be lost. The owner-pet relationship can quickly deteriorate as the dog becomes more wary and defensive while the owner becomes more fearful and/or confrontational.
Genetic factors and early experience likely also play a role; many of these dogs are easily aroused, excessively fearful, or may have emotional disorders or behavioral pathology (see below). Other cases are primarily a result of learning. Aggression when grabbing the collar or during bathing, nail trimming, or ear cleaning is a defensive response. Interrupting a pet that is aroused may lead to redirected aggression. Therefore, when a dog is presented for aggression toward family members, it can be difficult to determine the dog's underlying motivation because each incident has added to prior learning, fear conditioning, and underlying conflict. Dominance might refer to the relationship between two individuals of the same species within a social group, as described by actions, interactions, and intraspecific communication/signaling. These relationships are not established by aggression of the dominant individual but rather by the deferent signaling of others. Relationships between species, particularly dogs and people, are established through early socialization, the personality of the individual, and what it learns from its observations and interactions with family members. Physical techniques intended to assert dominance (eg, pinning, rolling over) and verbal discipline (yelling "no") are therefore ill advised and can result in fear, anxiety, and further aggression.
Dogs with impulse control aggression may respond with aggression to relatively benign interactions with family members. In some lines of English Cocker Spaniels and English Springer Spaniels, this aggression is associated with alterations in serotonin in blood samples or CSF.
When aggression is excessive, unpredictable, and disproportionate to the level of threat, safety is a serious concern and the prognosis generally guarded. However, when behavior is abnormal or pathologic, substantial improvement might be achieved with a combination of drugs (eg, SSRIs) and behavior modification.
Aggression Toward Other Dogs:
Dogs in the same group or household usually avoid conflict without aggression. Communication is based on dominant and submissive signals, with the deference of one of the two individuals to avoid escalation of the encounter. Dominance is a relative concept—the dog that displays deferent signaling may vary between resources and situations. Aggression between individuals living in the same household is generally an abnormal behavior caused by fear and anxiety, redirected aggression, impulse dyscontrol, or poor intraspecific communication skills as a result of genetics or lack of early socialization and compounded by experience and learning. Redirected aggression and competition over a valued resource may also lead to aggression between dogs in the home.
Owners may play a role by inadvertently supporting or encouraging a dog during an encounter in which it would normally defer. Age or illness may also play a role, if the way in which one dog signals or responds to the other is altered. Male-to-male aggression may have underlying hormonal factors that can be improved by neutering; however, learning may play a role in maintaining aggression.
If any situations arise in which the dogs are unable to resolve conflicts without aggression or injury, behavioral guidance should be sought. Aggression toward unfamiliar dogs and those that are not members of the family group are likely fearful, possessive, protective, or territorial.
Territorial/Protective Aggression:
Aggression may be displayed when the dog is approached in its territory. Territory can be stationary (eg, yard, home) or mobile (eg, car). What defines the behavior as territorial is that the dog does not display fear to similar stimuli when outside its territory. Fear, anxiety, defensive, and possessive behaviors may all be components, because the pet is most likely to display the behavior toward unfamiliar stimuli, and the motivation to escape or avoid (flight) is decreased or absent when the pet is on its own property. Learning (negative reinforcement when the stimulus retreats) and fear conditioning (unpleasant outcomes such as yelling, discipline, and confinement) can also play a role.
Predatory Aggression:
This is one of the most dangerous types of aggression, because there is usually no warning. The attack is intended to kill prey, and the bite is uninhibited. The sequence of events may include stalking, chasing, biting, and killing. Young children and babies may be at risk because their size and behaviors mimic those of prey. Although extensive socialization to a species might reduce predation toward that species, the behavior may be enhanced when predatory individuals are together in a group. Predation is a normal and dangerous canine behavior; thus, any dog that exhibits the behavior must be prevented from opportunities to repeat it.
Pain-induced and Medical Causes of Aggression:
Any disease that causes pain or increases irritability (eg, dental disease, arthritis, trauma, allergies) can lead to aggression. The dog may become aggressive when it is handled or anticipates handling. Organ dysfunction (eg, renal, hepatic), CNS disease, and endocrinopathies (eg, hyperadrenocorticism, functional testicular and ovarian tumors, and thyroid dysfunction) might also contribute to irritability and aggression. (Also see Table: Medical Causes of Behavioral Signs Medical Causes of Behavioral Signs .) While hypothyroidism is more likely associated with lethargy, dermatologic signs, and heat seeking in the early stages, it has been suggested that dogs might display an increase in aggression, particularly toward family members. Treatment should likely be reserved for cases in which diagnostic tests are also consistent with hypothyroidism, because excessive supplementation could lead to a hyperthyroid state (with associated medical and behavioral consequences). Treating the medical problem may resolve the aggression, but the behavior, once learned, may persist.
Maternal Aggression:
Maternal aggression may be seen in intact females with a litter of puppies or in females with pseudocyesis. It can be directed toward people or other animals. Signs of aggression arise when the bitch's puppies or toys that mimic puppies are protected, and the aggression should resolve when the hormonal state returns to normal and/or the puppies are weaned. The term maternal aggression has also been used to describe the aggression or cannibalism directed toward the puppies by the bitch. Although the problem may have a genetic component, it is reported to occur more frequently after a first litter. Ovariohysterectomy can prevent further incidents.
Treatment of Fears, Phobias, Anxiety, and Aggression
Before implementing specific therapy to manage, improve, or resolve a behavior problem, some common elements that apply to most cases should be considered. The initial discussion should focus on 1) an understanding of normal behavior as it relates to the problem, 2) learning to read canine body language and facial expressions, 3) ensuring that all of the dog's needs are adequately being met, 4) reviewing the principles of learning and reinforcement-based training (predictable consequences), and 5) managing both the environment and the dog to prevent further incidents. The cause, diagnosis, and motivation behind the behavior should be reviewed. Finally, the owner should be given a prognosis with realistic expectations for both short- and longterm outcomes.
In most cases, treatment focuses on changing the dog's emotional response with the stimulus (counterconditioning) and/or replacing the undesirable response with one that is desirable using reinforcement-based techniques (response substitution). However, dogs that are highly aroused respond with autonomic fight-or-flight responses and tend to make reflexive responses. Therefore, arousal must be reduced before treatment can proceed. This can be achieved by training the dog to settle on cue, by minimizing the intensity of the stimulus during exposure (desensitization), or by using management devices such as head halters that can change the dog's focus and help it to settle, and with drugs or natural products that reduce anxiety and behavioral pathology. Early intervention with medication may be necessary to achieve success and can be in the best interest of the fearful, anxious, or phobic dog.
There are common elements to the treatment of fear, anxiety, phobias, and most types of aggression. The first step in the treatment program is to identify each situation stimulus or interaction in which the problem might arise, so that a preventive program can first be implemented. Prevention ensures safety (eg, in aggression cases), prevents further damage to the household or injury to the dog, avoids further anxiety-evoking situations for the dog, and ensures no further aggravation of the problem through fear conditioning (ie, unpleasant outcomes) and learning (ie, negative reinforcement if the stimulus retreats).
Prevention can be most effectively achieved by identifying and avoiding any situation in which the dog might be exposed to the stimulus. A leash and head harness, leash and body harness, or verbal commands (when effective) can also prevent access to the stimulus. If avoidance cannot be ensured and aggression is a possibility, then a basket muzzle might be the best alternative.
A common starting point to begin to reduce anxiety, improve communication and training, teach self-control, and allow the dog to control its consequences/outcomes is to establish a program of structured interactions in which the dog is not given anything it values (or wants) until it sits (or lies down). If the owners' response is consistent and predictable by ensuring the dog sits (or lies down) every time a treat (food or toy) is given, the leash is attached, the dog goes in and out of the door or car, or the dog wants affection, the dog will soon learn that the sit or down action is required to get the reward, at which point gradually longer and more relaxed responses can be taught. This is sometimes termed structured interactions, predictable consequences, learn to earn, or "saying please."
Because the ultimate goal is to successfully expose the dog to controlled levels of the stimuli while achieving calm and positive outcomes, it is necessary to determine what behaviors need to be trained to achieve desirable outcomes during exposure training. For example, if problems arise indoors, the dog may first need to learn a focused sit, a relaxed down, and a mat command (or other location such as room or crate). A drop or give command and a come or recall may also need to be trained. When problems arise outdoors, sit and focus or down and settle may also be useful, but loose leash walking, backing up, or turning and walking away may be the best options for stimulus exposure. These behaviors should be learned reliably and consistently in a variety of environments with a minimum of distractions before the owners proceed to a graduated stimulus exposure ( see Counterconditioning and Desensitization: Counterconditioning and Desensitization: In production animals, treatment focuses on group management, environmental or housing modifications, and in some cases removing individual animals out of or to other groups. Specifics are covered... read more and see Response Substitution: Response Substitution: In production animals, treatment focuses on group management, environmental or housing modifications, and in some cases removing individual animals out of or to other groups. Specifics are covered... read more ).
By identifying a range (gradient) of the dog's most favored rewards, the most desirable can be used for training and shaping new behaviors that approximate the final goal; less-motivating rewards can then be used to ensure immediacy and timing of previously learned commands. In addition, a way to minimize and control the intensity of the stimulus will also need to be designed (eg, volume, distance, location). Exposure exercises can then be implemented by setting up situations in which high-value rewards are used to reinforce the desired behavior and condition a positive response during exposure to low-intensity stimuli and gradually proceeding through more intense stimuli. Setbacks can be avoided by determining the level of stimulus intensity at which a calm and positive outcome can be achieved and reinforced, and with the use of management devices such as a head halter (sit, reorient head, turn and walk away) or front control body harness (turn away from the situation) to ensure safety and success. Drugs and natural therapeutics might be used concurrently in dogs with excessively intense or abnormal behaviors to enable the successful implementation of behavior modification.
For noise phobias, controlled exposure can best be achieved through recordings that can be gradually increased after each successful session of desensitization and counterconditioning. Concurrent behavioral management to reduce stimuli (with sound proofing, ear covers, eye covers, crate covers, or white noise) and develop a safe haven to help the dog settle might also help the dog to cope. For separation anxiety, once a regular routine of play, exercise, and training is established, any additional reinforcement should focus on shaping gradually longer inattention sessions when the dog rests or occupies itself with favored chew and food- or treat-filled toys, ideally in a comfortable safe haven (bed, crate, or room) where the owners can house the dog while gradually increasing their time away. Any attention- or affection-soliciting behavior should be ignored, unless the dog is sitting or lying down calmly (sit for all interactions) or resting on its bed or mat. Visual and auditory cues that signal departure should be avoided if possible; alternatively, they can be decoupled from departure by exposing the dog while remaining home, and associating with play and treats (counterconditioning). In addition to preventive and environmental management strategies and behavior modification, drugs or natural therapeutics can be used to reduce underlying fear, anxiety, arousal, reactivity, or impulse dyscontrol to help facilitate learning; to improve underlying behavioral pathology; and in many cases to improve the behavioral well-being of the dog.
For impulsivity, generalized anxiety disorders, excessive stimulus anxiety, and phobias, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) are commonly used. Because fluoxetine has been evaluated in and licensed for dogs, it is generally the first choice of the SSRIs, although fluvoxamine, sertraline, paroxetine, and citalopram might be alternatives when fluoxetine is insufficiently effective or adverse effects such as anorexia are an issue. SSRIs are also used to treat compulsive disorders. Among the TCAs, clomipramine is licensed for use in dogs and is an alternative to fluoxetine for the treatment of anxiety disorders and phobias. Because clomipramine is the most selective of the TCAs to inhibit serotonin reuptake, it could be used for compulsive disorders, as an alternative to SSRIs. Other TCAs might be selected for their more potent antihistaminic effects (eg, doxepin, amitriptyline), whereas imipramine has been used as an aid in improving sphincter control with behavioral incontinence. Although the full effect might not be achieved for 3–4 wk, some effect might be noted in the first week. For some compulsive disorders, especially those in which there is a self-traumatic component, gabapentin or carbamazepine might be used concurrently, whereas in those cases in which focal seizures might be causing the behavioral signs, levetiracetam, phenobarbital, or potassium bromide might be used in a therapeutic response trial.
When an anxiety-evoking event can be predicted (eg, thunderstorms, fireworks, owner departure, visit to the veterinarian, car ride, exposure to dogs or strangers on a walk, visitors coming to the home), a benzodiazepine can be given with the antidepressant ~1 hr before the event. Because benzodiazepines have variable effects and relatively short half-lives, their efficacy, dose, and duration should be determined in advance of their therapeutic use. Clonidine, trazodone, or propranolol are other options that might be used adjunctively with SSRIs ~1 hr before an expected fear-evoking event (eg, thunder, fireworks, owner departure). In some refractory anxiety cases, trazodone, clonidine, a benzodiazepine such as clonazepam, or perhaps gabapentin might be used concurrently with an SSRI.
Buspirone, a nonsedating anxiolytic, is another option for ongoing use. Caution should be exercised when using anxiolytics, because some may disinhibit fearful dogs, which could lead to increased confidence and aggression.
Selegiline, which is licensed in North America for treatment of cognitive dysfunction syndrome in dogs, is also licensed for treatment of emotional disorders or chronic anxiety in Europe.
Natural products might be used alone or adjunctively with drugs or other natural products to help calm or reduce anxiety, although evidence of efficacy is more limited. A number of studies support the use of pheromone therapy. Adaptil™ simulates the intermammary-appeasing pheromones produced by the lactating bitch and is available as a spray, diffuser, or collar. Pheromones have been used for anxiety associated with car rides, veterinary visits, separation anxiety, storm and fireworks aversions, and to reduce the stress of adoption and aid socialization. A calming or anxiety-modulating effect has been reported for alpha-casozepine (Zylkene®, a milk protein hydrolysate), Harmonease® (containing Magnolia officinalis and Phellodendron amurense), l-theanine (Anxitane®) and Sin-Susto™ (a Souroubea plant blend), and aromatherapy (with lavender). In addition, studies with l-tryptophan in combination with a low-protein diet have demonstrated a possible reduction in some forms of aggression. A commercial diet also has been developed that combines l-tryptophan and alpha-casozepine (Royal Canin Calm®) that might aid in reducing stress and anxiety.
Although hyperactivity or attention deficit disorder has been poorly documented in dogs, there have been published cases studies of dogs with excessive motor activity and an altered ability to acquire new tasks (learn), sometimes accompanied by stereotypic behaviors. It may be particularly difficult to train such dogs to behaviorally settle. There may also be signs of sympathetic activity even at rest (eg, increased heart and respiratory rate, vasodilation). Affected dogs may respond to treatment with methylphenidate. If no improvement with an initial dose of 0.25–0.5 mg/kg, bid, the dosage can be gradually increased every few days to a maximum of ~2 mg/kg until a measurable therapeutic response is seen (reduced motor activity, heart rate, respiratory rate, repetitive activities), provided no adverse effects develop. Differential diagnoses include impulse control disorders that might respond to SSRI therapy, and normal behaviors in dogs with behavioral needs that are not being adequately met. In fact, it can be quite challenging to meet these needs in some breeds and individuals, depending on the home and family.
Destructive Behaviors
Many of the destructive behaviors, including chewing, stealing, garbage raiding, and digging, are normal exploratory behaviors that arise when the dog is unsupervised and not otherwise engaged in more desirable activities. A regular daily routine with sufficient reward training, exercise, and social enrichment can help to ensure that these behaviors do not arise when the owners are home, although varying degrees of supervision may be required. When the owners cannot supervise the dog, it should be provided with adequate outlets for exploratory play in the form of chews, food-stuffed toys, or manipulation toys, or in the case of outdoor dogs, perhaps even a designated area for digging. These dogs may also need to be confined away from the areas in which problems might arise or housed in crates, pens, or runs to prevent access to potential targets of destruction. Some dogs engage in destructive behaviors because of anxiety (eg, separation anxiety, confinement, noise phobias). Together with the history, videotaping or camera monitoring is generally the best way to diagnose behavior problems that occur when the owner is absent, as well as assess response to treatment.
Eating Disorders
Behavioral problems related to ingestion include those in which food intake is excessive (polyphagia), inadequate (hyporexia), or too fast (gorging); water intake is excessive (polydipsia); and nonfood items (pica) or feces (coprophagia) are eaten. Medical causes should be excluded first. Some dogs that scavenge do so as a normal component of food acquisition and are reinforced by success. Coprophagia may occasionally have a medical cause, but normal maternal behavior includes consumption of feces and urine of young puppies. In addition, as part of exploratory behavior, many dogs are attracted to and may ingest feces, compost, and prey (dead or live). Similarly, although some dogs with pica and polyphagia have compulsive disorders, many dogs, especially puppies, begin to chew and ingest nonfood items as part of investigative and exploratory behavior.
Dogs with hyporexia may have an anxiety disorder, and some may develop specific taste preferences and aversions that reduce what they will eat.
Many feeding problems can be improved through a work-for-food program in which dogs are given food as reinforcers for training, with the balance placed inside toys that require chewing or manipulation to release the food. This encourages exploration, makes feeding an enjoyable, time-consuming, and mentally challenging activity, and can limit the quantity consumed and prevent gorging. As with most behavior problems, correcting feeding problems needs to be accompanied by management strategies to prevent access to potential targets at any time the dog cannot be supervised or actively engaged in other chew and play behaviors.
Elimination Behavioral Problems
Dogs may soil in inappropriate locations because of inadequate or insufficient training, as a marking behavior, or as a result of fear or anxiety. However, pain, sensory decline, cerebrocortical disease including cognitive dysfunction, or any medical condition that leads to increased volume, more frequent elimination, pain on elimination, or lack of control, must first be excluded as potential causes or contributing factors.
A detailed behavioral history is necessary to determine whether the dog has ever been housetrained. If not, a housetraining regimen should be reviewed in which the focus is solely on reinforcement of elimination in desirable locations rather than punishment of elimination in inappropriate locations. This requires the owner to accompany the dog to its elimination area (eg, outdoors), reinforce elimination, supervise the dog indoors to prevent or interrupt any attempts at elimination (perhaps with the aid of a leash to ensure continuous supervision), and return the dog to its elimination site at appropriate intervals or if there are signs that the dog is ready to eliminate (eg, sniffing, heading to the door, sneaking away). When the owner is not able to supervise, a combination of scheduling (ensuring that the dog eliminates before departure and having someone return to take the dog to its elimination area before it must eliminate) and confinement training/prevention are required.
Dogs can either be confined away from areas where they might eliminate or kept in an area where they will not eliminate, such as a pen, room, or crate, where the dog eats, plays, or sleeps. Alternatively, the dog can be provided with an indoor elimination area (eg, paper, indoor puppy potty) within its confinement area where it can relieve itself when the owner is gone. Puppies obtained from pet stores or any location where they have been extensively caged may be more difficult to housetrain, because they have never had to inhibit elimination and may have learned to play with or eat feces.
Marking Behavior:
Although marking is most often seen in intact males as a form of social and olfactory communication, it is also seen in females (especially when in heat) and in neutered males and females, often as an overmarking of other odors (eg, where other pets have urinated, or on items such as blankets with the residual odor of other dogs, people, or cats). Some dogs will mark when they visit unfamiliar households, especially when another dog's odor is present. There is often a typical posture of a raised or partially raised leg when the surface to be marked is vertical. Fecal marking is uncommon.
Although marking is likely a component of normal communication, it is unacceptable when it occurs indoors. Neutering intact males will reduce the behavior, and good supervision can prevent or inhibit most marking. As with housesoiling, dogs should be confined away from areas that might be marked when owners are not able to supervise. Marking that is related to anxiety may be reduced by identifying and treating the cause, perhaps with the aid of drugs or natural products that reduce anxiety.
Excitement, Submission, and Conflict-related Elimination:
Dogs may eliminate when they are overly excited, such as when greeting people. Some dogs will urinate when showing submissive postures (eg, crouching to the ground or turning over to expose the belly) or when highly aroused. Because loss of urine control may be associated with a concurrent desire to both greet and show deferential behavior, many cases may be due to conflicting behavioral motivations. Treatment should focus on avoiding the stimuli (reaching, approach, eye contact) that incite the behavior and avoiding any punishment during greeting, which would add to fear and conflict behaviors. Acceptable alternative behaviors that are incompatible with excitable greeting or deferent postures can be taught, such as a relaxed sit, or any game or "trick" the pet may have learned such as fetch or giving a paw. Phenylpropanolamine might increase sphincter control, whereas imipramine may improve control and reduce anxiety.
Other Elimination Disorders:
Dogs with separation anxiety or other fears and phobias (eg, thunderstorm phobia, firework phobia) may soil during these times.
Aging and Cognitive Dysfunction
The aging process is associated with progressive and irreversible changes in body systems that can affect behavior ( see Medical Causes of Behavioral Signs Medical Causes of Behavioral Signs and see Medical Causes of Behavioral Signs Medical Causes of Behavioral Signs ). In older dogs, these might include hepatic or renal failure, endocrine disorders (eg, Cushing disease), pain, sensory decline, or any disease affecting the CNS (eg, tumors) or circulation (eg, anemia, hypertension). To diagnose the cause of behavioral signs in a geriatric dog, a detailed history, physical examination, neurologic evaluation, and diagnostic tests are required to exclude potential medical causes of the presenting signs. Many owners do not report these signs, perhaps because the owners think they are insignificant or assume little can be done. Yet in one study, 30% of dogs 11–12 yr old and nearly 70% of dogs 15–16 yr old had signs consistent with cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS). A more recent Internet survey estimated CDS in 14.2% of dogs >10 yr old, with prevalence increasing with age, but >85% of these had not been diagnosed. It is therefore essential that owners be informed of the importance of reporting signs when they arise and for veterinarians to take a proactive approach in asking owners about behavior at each visit. Early detection provides the best opportunity to improve signs and slow the decline of cognitive function.
Aging dogs may exhibit a decline in cognitive function (memory, learning, perception, awareness) that manifests as one or more of a group of clinical signs. These are sometimes referred to by the acronym DISHA and include disorientation, interactions, sleep-wake cycles, housesoiling, and activity changes (which may be decreased or increased and repetitive). In addition, anxiety, agitation, and altered responses to stimuli are frequently reported. The first and most prominent sign of brain aging is a decline in learning or memory, which is generally impractical for pet owners to assess. However, neuropsychologic testing of older dogs has documented memory decline beginning at 6–8 yr of age and learning deficits by 9 yr of age. CDS in dogs is analogous to the early stages of Alzheimer disease in people, both in clinical signs and brain pathology. As with people, some dogs show minimal to no clinical impairment with age, whereas others develop varying degrees of deficits.
Treatment should first focus on environmental enrichment (both physical and mental stimulation), which has been shown to slow cognitive decline and improve the signs of CDS. Selegiline is a monoamine oxidase B inhibitor that may improve the signs of CDS by enhancing dopamine and other catecholamines in the cortex and hippocampus and by decreasing free radical load. Propentofylline, which is licensed in Europe and Australia for the treatment of dullness, lethargy, and depressed demeanor in old dogs, may increase blood flow and inhibit platelet aggregation and thrombus formation.
A number of natural products, including diets and supplements, have also been shown to have beneficial effects in improving the signs and potentially slowing cognitive decline. Two such diets are Canine b/d®, which is supplemented with fatty acids, antioxidants, and dl-alpha-lipoic acid and l-carnitine to enhance mitochondrial function, and a specialized Purina One® diet that uses botanic oils containing medium-chain triglycerides to provide ketone bodies as an alternative source of energy for aging neurons.
Other natural supplements that have demonstrated efficacy in improving cognitive function include Senilife®, which contains a combination of phosphatidylserine, Ginkgo biloba, resveratrol, and vitamins E and B6; Activait®, which contains phosphatidylserine in combination with α-lipoic acid, carnitine, fatty acids, glutathione, and other antioxidants; S-adenosyl methionine (Novifit®); and apoaequorin (Neutricks®), a calcium-buffering protein found in jellyfish.


text:
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text:
Every now and then, while out there traveling, I end up in a conversation in which someone asks me "What do you like best about your home country?" The first couple of times it happened, I actually had to think real hard to come up with an answer, simply because I spend so much time focusing on international travel and all of these foreign destinations that I rarely paid much attention to what I enjoy about the USA.
However, the more I traveled, the more the answer to such a question eventually did become quite clear. It became quite clear because I realized that every time I returned to the USA, the exact same thing happened.
My flight lands. I get off the airplane and I walk through the airport. I stand in the immigration line and then, I just look around me. Before long, I feel goosebumps forming on my skin. I proceed through the immigration inspection, grab my backpack, pass through the customs check and walk into the airport terminal. And the goosebumps intensify.
Then, for the duration of my stay in my home country, whether I'm in New York City, Boston, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, Florida, or just about anywhere else, the feeling remains, the feeling that I am surrounded by something that doesn't really exist anywhere else on the planet.
What I am surrounded by, and what has become my answer to the question "What do I like best about the USA?", is…'incredible diversity'.
Where else can you find such a diverse collection of people living together? Just on my walk this morning from my friend's apartment to the small cafe in Brooklyn where I am writing this post, I passed by businesses that are owned by Yemenis, Thais, Chinese, Italians, Mexicans, Ethiopians, French and Indians. That was in a span of just three blocks.
And while New York City offers diversity to the extreme, and I realize that such diversity is not present in every single town in this country and that everyone is not living together in perfect harmony all of the time, it is impossible not to notice, and appreciate, the level of diversity that does exist in so many parts of the USA. After spending so much time overseas, I certainly notice the impressive diversity here instantly and I certainly feel lucky to have grown up among it and to now be able to experience it several times per year.
Life is just so much more interesting and fulfilling when you get to interact with so many different kinds of people every day!
Now I pass it over to you as I ask…
What do you like best about your own country?


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Scientists Find the True Hubble Constant!
News story originally written on May 26, 1999
After eight long years, the Hubble Space Telescope Key Project Team finally revealed what they believe is the real Hubble Constant. The Hubble Constant is the speed which the Universe is expanding at. For over 70 years, scientists have argued over the exact number.
Astronomers are able to use the constant to "work backwards", in order to find the age of the Universe. Now that the Hubble team has found Hubble's Constant to be 70 kilometers per second per megaparsec, they have determined the age of the Universe to be 12 billion years old. At one time, scientists differed on the value of the constant by a factor of 2. Now, the constant has been measured with an error of only 10 percent.
The Hubble team used a certain type of star called a Cepheid variable star. A Cepheid is a special pulsating star that can be used to make precise distance measurements. Over 800 Cepheids were found during the 10 year project.
Finding the Hubble Constant was one of three original goals set by astronomers when the telescope was first launched in 1990. The telescope is named after Edwin Hubble, the first to believe the Universe is expanding.


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With the year's end arriving, the British Medical Journal asked two physicians take a look at some of those old adages that everyone repeats each holiday season. Looking at six of these, the doctors found that some might have reasons behind them, but found no solid backing after a large number of studies.
"We're trying to just show that it's important for us to examine commonly held beliefs," said Dr. Aaron E. Carroll, director of the Center for Health Policy and Professionalism Research at the Indiana University School of Medicine. "There's good science to show that these beliefs are incorrect, that they're myths, and yet many people still believe them."
This was the second straight year that Carroll and his colleague, Dr. Rachel C. Vreeman, took a look at some holiday myths for the journal.
While stressing that most of the myths are not harmful, Carroll said they may cause people to change their behavior unnecessarily.
"Some of it's not a good idea, and some of it is perfectly good to question," he said.
Here are the six myths they looked at, which they and other doctors hope to dispell:
Sugar Makes Kids Hyperactive
Carroll and Vreeman noted in their article that 12 separate trials failed to show any difference in children's behavior after consuming sugar, even those with ADHD and other conditions considered "sensitive" to sugar.
"I probably get more questions about that than almost anything else," said Keith Ayoob, a registered dietitian and an associate professor of pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, who was not involved with the writing of the article.
"While sugar can give a quick burst of energy, " he said, "it doesn't cause hyperactivity and there are tons of studies to show this."
Ayoob said the myth exists for not only sugar, but food dyes as well.
Carroll and Vreeman also note that parents appear to be sensitive to this myth, as studies they looked at showed that parents would rate their children as being more hyperactive if the children had just eaten sugar, even if the child's behavior was not different.
Ayoob notes that sugar gets too much credit for its effects.
"If it were that easy to get a buzz, adults would be popping hard candy all day long," he said.
But that doesn't mean parents shouldn't limit their children's sugar intake, because a lot of the sugar kids want isn't healthy.
"I don't think kids should be given huge amounts of sugar by any means," said Ayoob, "but let's not attribute more to sugar than is really there."
Suicides Increase During the Holiday Season
Carroll and Vreeman point to a study of 35 years in the United States to prove that the belief that suicides increase at holiday time is a myth.
They note that suicide peaks actually tend to come in the warmer months of the year, and that among youths, suicide rates tend to peak at the close of a school year, because, they speculate, those adolescents do not have their support system anymore.
But while suicides are not an annual epidemic around the holidays, this holiday season may be a bit different, said Mark Kaplan, a professor of community health at Portland State University and a member of the Suicide Prevention Action Network USA's National Scientific Advisory Council. He notes that the economic downturn may contribute to a sense of desperation not seen in the past.
"How do you separate the current holiday seasons from everything else going on?" Kaplan said. "This holiday season is quite different from past holiday seasons... It's challenging people's emotions far more than in the past."
Poinsettias Are Poisonous
While the red and green flower arrangements are popular at Christmas time, many people worry that the plants themselves are poisonous.
Carroll and Vreeman noted that despite hundreds of thousands of calls to poison control centers over poinsettia poisonings, none of those cases resulted in death. They also noted a study showing that rats could consume the equivalent of 500 to 600 leaves without problems.
But Ayoob notes that we should still avoid making any house plant an entrée.
"It's probably a good idea to make sure that your kids don't eat the house plants on any level," he said, noting that paint, glitter and chemicals applied to the plant could cause stomach problems for youngsters and pets.
Even if the plant itself is not poisonous, "I still wouldn't turn it into a mojito," said Ayoob.
You Lose Half Your Body Heat Through Your Head
Wearing a hat in the winter may help keep you warm, but it isn't necessarily more critical than the rest of your body.
Carroll and Vreeman note that this myth even made it into a U.S. Army field manual for survival. They suspect the myth originated when, for a military study, scientists put subjects in arctic survival suits without hats. Had they put them in swimsuits, the pair said, the heat loss from the head probably would have been closer to 10 percent.
"You don't lose 50 percent of your body heat through your head," said Dr. David Cook, an emergency physician with Christiana Care in Newark, Del., and a member of the public relations committee for the American College of Emergency Physicians.
Ten percent, he said is probably a better estimate, because that is roughly the amount of the body's surface area that the head composes.
Cook said he remains unsure of why this myth has persisted.
"I'm not sure if it's just an old wives tale that just kind of lingered, like going outside with wet hair will give you a cold," he said. "There's a lot of things that have hung around in the form of wives' tales that haven't been disproved to people in the general public."
But Paul Pepe, chair of emergency medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center notes that it is still important to cover your head and neck, as they will cool faster than other body parts because of wind, and it can range up to 20 or 30 percent.
"You do lose a lot of your body heat around your head and neck."
Eating a Lot at Night Will Make You Fat
Carroll and Vreeman noted that this myth may have taken hold because most heavy night-eaters are heavy eaters at all times of the day.
They note that skipping breakfast may lead to weight gain, however, because it leads people to overeat at other meals.
Ayoob said spacing out meals is the key to avoiding weight gain, since it keeps calorie consumption level throughout the day. And total calories will matter more than when they are eaten.
"Ultimately, it's all about the calories," he said. "That said, sometimes when people eat a lot at night, they're going to wake up not wanting to eat breakfast."
And that is where the weight gain problems can begin. Also, notes Ayoob, heavy eating at night isn't a good idea because it can prevent you from getting quality rest.
"It's really hard when you've got a meal the size of a basketball under your ribs to go to sleep."
You Can Cure a Hangover
The good news, said Carroll and Vreeman, is that hangovers are completely preventable.
"The most effective way to avoid a hangover is to consume alcohol only in moderation or not at all," they wrote.
Unfortunately, notes Ayoob, most don't want to take that route.
"People want to negotiate with their bodies," he said.
But Carroll and Vreeman looked at a number of supposed cures that have been tested and found that those negotiations seem to always come to a standstill.
They looked at studies for aspirin, bananas and Vegemite and water, and found none of them would prevent the day-after headaches.
Ayoob notes that while moderation is preached, many do not want to follow the guidelines, which limit women to one drink and men to two.
Also, he said, it has almost become a joke when taking medical histories for drinking, as people are reluctant to admit how much they actually consume.
While many refer to themselves as "social drinkers," he said, ""Way too many people are getting way more social."
Ayoob noted that the only way to end a hangover is to wait it out.
"There is no really hard evidence that you can prevent a hangover, except with time and fluids," he said.
So What?
The message of these myths, say the authors of the article, is that people should be more inquisitive when they hear these kinds of statements, whether from a parent, teacher or doctor.
"If a doctor doesn't have a good answer, they should go find out why," said Carroll.
"We're trying to illustrate that you should ask why. It's always a good idea to ask why. I guess we're trying to promote a healthy skepticism, especially when it comes to health and medical issues."


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What I am talking about are reconstruction theorems for commutative scheme and group from category. Let me elaborate a bit. (I am not an expert, if I made mistake, feel free to correct me)
Reconstruction of commutative schemes
Given a quasi compact and quasi separated commutative scheme $(X,O_{X})$ (actually, quasi compact is not necessary), we can reconstruct the scheme from $Qcoh(X)$ as category of quasi coherent sheaves on $(X,O_{X})$. This is Gabriel-Rosenberg theorem. Let me sketch the statement of this theorem which led to the question I want to ask:
The reconstruction can be taken as geometric realization of $Qcoh(X)$ (abelian category). Let $C_X$=$Qcoh(X)$. We define spectrum of $C_X$ and denote it by $Spec(X)$
(For example, if $C_X=R-mod$.where $R$ is commutative ring, then $Spec(X)$ coincides with prime spectrum $Spec(R)$). We can define Zariski topology on $Spec(X)$, we have open sets respect to Zariski topology. Then we have contravariant pseudo functor from category of Zariski open sets of the spectrum $Spec(X)$ to $Cat$,$U\rightarrow C_{X}/S_{U}$,where $U$ is Zariski open set of $Spec(X)$ and $S_U=\bigcap_{Q\in U}^{ }\hat{Q}$
(Note:$Spec(X)$ is a set of subcategories of $C_{X}$ satisfying some conditions, so here,$Q$ is subcategory belongs to open set $U$ and $\hat{Q}$=union of all topologizing subcategories of $C_{X}$ which do not contain $Q$.)
For each embedding:$V\rightarrow U$, we have correspondence localization functor: $C_{X}/S_{U}\rightarrow C_{X}/S_{V}$. Then we have fibered category over the Zariski topology of $Spec(X)$, so we have given a geometric realization of $Qcoh(X)$ as a stack of local category which means the fiber(stalk)at each point $Q$,
$colim_{Q\in U} C_{X}/S_{U}$=$C_{X}/\hat{Q}$ is a local category.
Zariski geometric center
Define a functor $O_{X}$:$Open(Spec(X))\rightarrow CRings$
$U|\rightarrow End(Id_{C_{X}/S_{U}})$
It is easy to show that $O_{X}$ is a presheaf of commutative rings on $Spec(X)$, then Zariski geometric center is defined as $(Spec(X),\hat{O_{X}})$,where $\hat{O_{X}}$ is associated sheaf of $O_{X}$.
Given X=$(\mathfrak{X},O_{\mathfrak{X}})$ a quasi compact and quasi separated commutative scheme. Then the scheme X is isomorphic to Zariski geometric center of $C_X=Qcoh(X)$. If we denote the fibered category mentioned above by $\mathfrak{F}_{X}$.
then center of each fiber (stalk) of $\mathfrak{F}_{X}$ recover the presheaf of commutative ring defined above and hence Zariski geometric center. Moreover, Catersion section of this fibered category is equivalent to $Qcoh(X)$ when $X$ is commutative scheme
It is well known that for a compact group $G$, we can use Tanaka formalism to reconstruct this group from category of its representation $(Rep(G),\bigotimes _{k},Id)$. Is this reconstruction Morally the same as Gabriel-Rosenberg pattern reconstruction theorem?
From my perspective, I think $Qcoh(X)$ and category of group representations are very similar because $Qcoh(X)$ can be taken as "category of representation of scheme". On the otherhand, group scheme is a scheme compatible with group operations. Therefore, I think it should have united formalism to reconstruct both of them. Then I have following questions:
1 Is there a Tanaka formalism for reconstruction of general scheme$(X,O_{X})$ from $Qcoh(X)$?
2.Is there a Gabriel-Rosenberg pattern reconstruction (geometric realization of category of category of representations of group) to recover a group scheme? I think this formalism is natural (because the geometric realization of a category is just a stack of local categories and the center(defined as endomorphism of identical functor)of the fiber of this stack can recover the original scheme) and has good generality (can be extend to more general settings)
Maybe one can argue that these two reconstruction theorems live in different nature because reconstruction of group schemes require one to reconstruct the group operations which force one to go to monoidal categories (reconstruct co-algebra structure) while reconstruction of non-group scheme doesn't (just need to reconstruct algebra structure).
However, If we stick to the commutative case. $Qcoh(X)$ has natural symmetric monoidal structure. Then, in this case, I think this argue goes away.
More Concern
I just look at P.Balmer's paper on reconstruction from derived category, it seems that he also used Gabriel-Rosenberg pattern in triangulated categories: He defined spectrum of triangulated category as direct imitation of prime ideals of commutative ring. Then, he used triangulated version of geometric realization (geometric realization of triangulated category as a stack of local triangulated category) hence, a fibered category arose, then take the center of the fiber at open sets of spectrum of triangulated categories to recove the presheaf (hence sheaf) of commutative rings. This triangulated version of geometric realization is also mentioned in Rosenberg's lecture notes Topics in Noncommutative algebraic geometry,homologial algebra and K-theory page 43-44, it also discuss the relation with Balmer's construction. But in Balmer's consideration, there is tensor structure in his derived category
Therefore, the further question is:
Is there a triangulated version of Tannaka Formalism which can recover P.Balmer's reconstruction theorem. ? I heard from some experts in derived algebraic geometry that Jacob Lurie developed derived version of Tannaka formalism. I know there are many experts in DAG on this site. I wonder whether one can answer this question.
In fact, I still have some concern about Bondal-Orlov reconstruction theorem but I think it seems that I should not ask too many questions at one time.So, I stop here.All the related and unrelated comments are welcome
Thanks in advance!
Reconstruction theorem in nLab reconstruction theorem
EDIT: A nice answer provided by Ben-Zvi for related questions


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Recharge, a startup that tried convincing hotels to let its customers rent their rooms by the hour and even minute, has revamped and rebranded. Now Globe, the company is hoping to convince guests to sign up for short stays instead in people's homes so that they can kick back between other commitments, and, if the host allows it, to shower and nap.
It's at once crazy sounding and intriguing, which is perhaps why the popular accelerator program Y Combinator accepted the company into its most recent class of companies. (It shows off its newest batch of startups next week.) YC was famously early to spy the opportunity that Airbnb could chase, after all. The question is whether Globe, which likens itself to an Airbnb for day breaks, will have anywhere near the same appeal.
Its proposition is certainly similar. Home owner or renter wrings out some extra income by renting out all or part of their home, except that unlike with Airbnb, where the minimum stay is at least one night, with Globe, a host rents out his or her space for smaller increments of time.
In a world where the economic divide continues to grow between the haves and have-nots, it's easy to see the logic in maximizing an underutilized asset — even one's living room — in order to live more comfortably. It's especially easy to see the logic in prohibitively expensive cities like San Francisco and New York.
At the same time, letting in a stranger — even a "businessperson" — for a shorter period of time is not going to be a no-brainer for many people who might otherwise rent their home while away for a weekend. And on the other side of the marketplace, getting enough hosts with nice enough places to become hosts is a high hurdle for Globe to surmount. After all, if someone is looking for an alternative to Starbucks for a few hours, and that individual has to take some form of transportation to get to a host's couch that may or may not be as nice as pictured, that individual may well go the coffee shop route instead. (The company is also up against startups like Breather that offer hourly or daily "space as a service.")
Founder Manny Bamfo appreciates the challenge, he says. In fact, after running Recharge for a couple of years, he's gotten well-acquainted with adversity.
Though he says that Recharge wound up seeing $4 million in revenue from its hotel partners, renting rooms to Recharge customers "wasn't their number one priority, and that made it hard to provide a consistent experience for our customers." Bamfo suggests their "unionized cleaning labor" wasn't excited at the prospect of cleaning rooms more frequently than once daily, either, which is partly why Recharge decided to relaunch as a home-sharing service instead.
It's not just a branding exercise. Along with the new name, Globe is starting from scratch with a new cap table, though Bamfo says Globe opened up a small round for previous investors that was "oversubscribed instantly." Recharge had raised $10 million from investors. (One of these backers was Binary Capital, which has since evolved into little more than a tangle of lawsuits. Another backer was the real estate-focused firm Fifth Wall Ventures, which maintains a small stake in the new company, says Bamfo.)
In the meantime, Globe is looking to "do a proper seed round at [YC's] Demo Day." And it's busy spreading the word in an effort to build up its burgeoning new marketplace of homes and apartments for rent, and advertising a rate of $50 per hour to people who host their entire home by the hour and $25 per hour to those who share less room.
Globe keeps 20% of the fee.
Globe is also promising $1 million in general liability insurance and, for now, guests who have been verified and vetted by Bamfo himself. It's not a scalable solution, he acknowledges, but at the moment, he says, it's all about building the right community, and he sounds optimistic, of course, about its odds.
"People view it like selling a lamp on Craigslist. 'If it's not much work, and it's another form of income, I'll do it,'" he says. The reality are a "lot of people with great jobs living in cities that are very expensive — people who are cops, who are teachers, who aren't quite making six figures, and any extra income is a godsend."
It all begs the question of why, if it's such a big opportunity, Airbnb isn't already it. Bamfo's answer is that it's basic time management, as well as a different market. "For any company to do this well, it has to be their number one priority." Besides, he adds, Airbnb is "a travel company. We're localized, with the ability to charge on a minute-by-minute basis. It's a huge engineering undertaking and, for now, it's part of our moat, too."