Category: Writing

Dogs and scents

A fascinating article about our unique body odour.

I was researching stories that I could republish and was concentrating at first on The Conversation. Then I saw the post for today and went no further. It is primarily about the odour that each of us has.

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Your unique body odor could identify who you are and provide insights into your health – all from the touch of a hand

The scent emitted from your hands could offer clues about who you are. Siro Rodenas Cortes/Moment via Getty Images

Chantrell Frazier, Framingham State University; Kenneth G. Furton, Florida International University, and Vidia A. Gokool, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

From the aroma of fresh-cut grass to the smell of a loved one, you encounter scents in every part of your life. Not only are you constantly surrounded by odor, you’re also producing it. And it is so distinctive that it can be used to tell you apart from everyone around you.

Your scent is a complex product influenced by many factors, including your genetics. Researchers believe that a particular group of genes, the major histocompatibility complex, play a large role in scent production. These genes are involved in the body’s immune response and are believed to influence body odor by encoding the production of specific proteins and chemicals.

But your scent isn’t fixed once your body produces it. As sweat, oils and other secretions make it to the surface of your skin, microbes break down and transform these compounds, changing and adding to the odors that make up your scent. This scent medley emanates from your body and settles into the environments around you. And it can be used to track, locate or identify a particular person, as well as distinguish between healthy and unhealthy people.

We are researchers who specialize in studying human scent through the detection and characterization of gaseous chemicals called volatile organic compounds. These gases can relay an abundance of information for both forensic researchers and health care providers.

Science of body odor

When you are near another person, you can feel their body heat without touching them. You may even be able to smell them without getting very close. The natural warmth of the human body creates a temperature differential with the air around it. You warm up the air nearest to you, while air that’s farther away remains cool, creating warm currents of air that surround your body.

Researchers believe that this plume of air helps disperse your scent by pushing the millions of skin cells you shed over the course of a day off your body and into the environment. These skin cells act as boats or rafts carrying glandular secretions and your resident microbes – a combination of ingredients that emit your scent – and depositing them in your surroundings.

Your scent is composed of the volatile organic compounds present in the gases emitted from your skin. These gases are the combination of sweat, oils and trace elements exuded from the glands in your skin. The primary components of your odor depend on internal factors such as your race, ethnicity, biological sex and other traits. Secondary components waver based on factors like stress, diet and illness. And tertiary components from external sources like perfumes and soaps build on top of your distinguishable odor profile.

Identity of scent

With so many factors influencing the scent of any given person, your body odor can be used as an identifying feature. Scent detection canines searching for a suspect can look past all the other odors they encounter to follow a scent trail left behind by the person they are pursuing. This practice relies on the assumption that each person’s scent is distinct enough that it can be distinguished from other people’s.

Researchers have been studying the discriminating potential of human scent for over three decades. A 1988 experiment demonstrated that a dog could distinguish identical twins living apart and exposed to different environmental conditions by their scent alone. This is a feat that could not be accomplished using DNA evidence, as identical twins share the same genetic code.

The field of human scent analysis has expanded over the years to further study the composition of human scent and how it can be used as a form of forensic evidence. Researchers have seen differences in human odor composition that can be classified based on sex, gender, race and ethnicity. Our research team’s 2017 study of 105 participants found that specific combinations of 15 volatile organic compounds collected from people’s hands could distinguish between race and ethnicity with an accuracy of 72% for whites, 82% for East Asians and 67% for Hispanics. Based on a combination of 13 compounds, participants could be distinguished as male or female with an overall 80% accuracy.

Researchers have trained dogs to sniff out COVID-19 infections.

Researchers are also producing models to predict the characteristics of a person based on their scent. From a sample pool of 30 women and 30 men, our team built a machine learning model that could predict a person’s biological sex with 96% accuracy based on hand odor.

Scent of health

Odor research continues to provide insights into illnesses. Well-known examples of using scent in medical assessments include seizure and diabetic alert canines. These dogs can give their handlers time to prepare for an impending seizure or notify them when they need to adjust their blood glucose levels.

While these canines often work with a single patient known to have a condition that requires close monitoring, medical detection dogs can also indicate whether someone is ill. For example, researchers have shown that dogs can be trained to detect cancer in people. Canines have also been trained to detect COVID-19 infections at a 90% accuracy rate.

Similarly, our research team found that a laboratory analysis of hand odor samples could discriminate between people who are COVID-19 positive or negative with 75% accuracy.

Forensics of scent

Human scent offers a noninvasive method to collect samples. While direct contact with a surface like touching a doorknob or wearing a sweater provides a clear route for your scent to transfer to that surface, simply standing still will also transfer your odor into the surrounding area.

Although human scent has the potential to be a critical form of forensic evidence, it is still a developing field. Imagine a law enforcement officer collecting a scent sample from a crime scene in hopes that it may match with a suspect.

Further research into human scent analysis can help fill the gaps in our understanding of the individuality of human scent and how to apply this information in forensic and biomedical labs.

Chantrell Frazier, Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Food Science, Framingham State University; Kenneth G. Furton, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida International University, and Vidia A. Gokool, Postdoctoral Researcher, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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This is so interesting and I, for one, learnt a great deal more about the human body and in particular the scent glands.

Plus, it was a joy to read about the role of canines in all of this.

Managing eco-anxiety.

Republishing a recent article published by The Conversation.

Before I go to this article I want to talk briefly about the book the Myth of Normal or as the subtitle explains TRAUMA, ILLNESS & HEALING IN A TOXIC CULTURE.

Let me pick this closing paragraph of Chapter 20, on page 296:

Disconnection in all its guises – alienation, loneliness, loss of meaning and dislocation – is becoming our culture’s most plentiful product. No wonder we are more addicted, chronically ill, and mentally disordered than ever before, enfeebled as we are by such malnourishment of mind, body, and soul.

the Myth of Normal, Dr Gabor Maté with Daniel Maté

It is a very powerful book albeit not the easiest read in the world but still highly recommended.

Plus there is a YouTube video of Dr. Maté being interviewed in July, 2023 by Tara Westover (also a long video!).

Now to the main purpose of today’s post.

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Keeping your cool in a warming world: 8 steps to help manage eco-anxiety

Karen Magruder, University of Texas at Arlington

In a world facing environmental challenges unprecedented in human history, it’s no surprise that eco-anxiety – a pervasive worry about the current and future state of our planet – has become an increasingly prevalent mental health issue.

As people witness the devastating impacts of climate change, deforestation and loss of biodiversity, it’s only natural to feel overwhelmed and disheartened. I happen to live in Phoenix, Arizona, a “heat apocalypse” city with dwindling water supplies, so I have some skin in the game.

But amid doom-and-gloom predictions, there is hope. As a therapist and clinical social work professor, I have seen firsthand how paralyzing eco-anxiety can be, and I’m dedicated to finding solutions. Here are a few evidence-based tips to tackle your climate woes.

What is eco-anxiety?

Eco-anxiety is a broad term that encompasses dread about environmental issues like pollution and disposal of toxic waste, as well as climate-specific fears, such as increasing rates of extreme weather events and sea-level rise.

Common symptoms of eco-anxiety include worry about future generations, trouble sleeping or concentrating, feelings of frustration and a sense of helplessness. These feelings can range from mild and fleeting concerns to deep despair, panic attacks and obsessive-compulsive behaviors.

Sound like you or someone you know? There are a number of tools that can help people cope with these feelings, summed up with the acronym UPSTREAM.

Understanding and self-compassion

Be kind to yourself and know that you are not alone in these feelings.

Caring about the world you live in does not make you a “crazy” alarmist. In fact, growing numbers of people across the globe feel the same way, with two-thirds of Americans reporting being at least somewhat worried about climate change in recent polls.

It makes sense that people would feel nervous when basic needs like safety and shelter are threatened. Give yourself grace, because beating yourself up for these very valid feelings will only make you feel worse.

Participate in the solution

It can be hard to feel empowered when environmental harms are taking a toll on your mental health, but the escalating global crisis still demands urgent attention. Instead of burying your head in the sand, use that mental discomfort as a catalyst for action.

Individual efforts to reduce your carbon footprint matter. Joining larger movements has the potential for even move significant impacts, as well as the potential to buffer anxiety, research shows. Volunteer your own unique passions, talents and skills to advocate for systemic changes that will benefit the planet and humanity.

When you feel anxious, use that energy as fuel for the fight. Harnessing eco-anxiety in this way can reduce your sense of powerlessness.

A group of young people plant trees along a street in Los Angeles. One is wearing an LA Conservation Corps T-shirt.
Local groups can take action in many ways, including helping to plant trees, educating residents or pressuring lawmakers to take action. Citizen of the Planet/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Self-talk

The weight of the climate crisis is heavy enough as it is – don’t let your brain make you feel even worse.

When it comes to thinking about climate change, a realistic mindset puts us in a “just right” psychological Goldilocks zone. Don’t numb your psychic wounds, but also don’t over-catastrophize.

As a therapist, I often help clients identify and reframe unhelpful thinking patterns. For example, while it is true that there are many environmental problems to grapple with, there is also positive news, so don’t discount it. Recognize and celebrate victories big and small.

Trauma: Process it so you can heal

The climate crisis has been conceptualized as a collective trauma, and many individuals are struggling with eco-grief from climate impacts that have already happened. Processing past trauma from events like weather disasters is a crucial step in enhancing your ability to cope with new experiences.

Even people who have not yet experienced significant climate impacts directly may have signs of pre-traumatic stress, a clinical term for the distress experienced in anticipation of a high-stress situation. A licensed mental health professional can help you process these emotions.

Reduce isolation

It’s no secret that having a strong social support network is a key ingredient for happiness. Surrounding yourself with compassionate, like-minded friends is also key to sustained efforts in doing your part to make a difference.

Consider joining or starting a Climate Cafe or similar group to talk about climate concerns. Visit a 10-step climate grief meeting. Join a local environmental organization. Or simply call up a friend when you need a listening ear.

A woman holds a trash bag and directs others in a lakeshore clean up effort.
Community cleanup days can help reduce isolation and help you feel involved in making the world a better place. Luis Alvarez/DigitalVision via Getty Images

Ecotherapy

Get outdoors and enjoy nature.

Go for a quiet walk in the woods and observe nature all around you – it’s a Japanese practice for relaxation known as forest bathing. Spend time gardening. Exercise outdoors or otherwise spend time outdoors in a place that is relaxing and restorative for you.

Gardening can relax the mind and put you in touch with nature. If you don’t have a yard, find a community garden. Compassionate Eye Foundation/Natasha Alipour Faridani via Getty Images

Acts of self-care

Self-care is paramount when it comes to managing the emotional toll of eco-anxiety.

Engaging in self-care practices, such as getting adequate sleep, eating healthy and having fun, helps us maintain a sense of balance in the face of overwhelming environmental concerns.

Remember what they teach you on airplanes – you should always put on your own oxygen mask before helping other passengers. Likewise, when we come from a place of wellness, we are better equipped to handle the stresses of eco-anxiety and make a difference in this area.

Mindfulness

Because eco-grief is focused on the past and eco-anxiety is future-oriented, reconnecting to the present moment is a powerful way to combat both.

By cultivating mindfulness – a nonjudgmental awareness of the present moment – people can become more attuned to their thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations in response to eco-anxiety triggers. This heightened self-awareness helps people to acknowledge worries without becoming consumed by them.

Mindfulness practices, such as meditation and deep breathing, provide a calming and grounding effect, helping to reduce stress and alleviate feelings of helplessness. Moreover, mindfulness fosters a deeper connection to nature and an appreciation for the present moment, which can counteract the sense of despair associated with future environmental uncertainties.

In the face of eco-anxiety, these strategies can build resilience, reminding everyone that they have the power to shape a more sustainable and hopeful future.

Karen Magruder, Assistant Professor of Practice in Social Work, University of Texas at Arlington

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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There’s a powerful reminder that we have the power to stay in the present, or to put it another way by cultivating mindfulness. There are quite a few websites on Mindfulness including this description of what Mindfulness is on the Mayo Clinic website.

Mindfulness is a type of meditation in which you focus on being intensely aware of what you’re sensing and feeling in the moment, without interpretation or judgment. Practicing mindfulness involves breathing methods, guided imagery, and other practices to relax the body and mind and help reduce stress.

Mayo Clinic

Now that is something I should really focus on as I am terrible at being in the moment and nowhere else.

An insight into religious leaders who do not have a religion.

I would not have believed this had I not read it with my own eyes.

I have been an atheist all my life. My mother and father were all those years ago when being an atheist was not something one promoted.

But a recent article from The Conversation told a very surprising account: “These spiritual caregivers can be found working in hospitals, universities, prisons and many other secular settings, serving people of all faiths and those with no faith tradition at all.“

Here’s the full article.

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Religious leaders without religion: How humanist, atheist and spiritual-but-not-religious chaplains tend to patients’ needs

Chaplains talk with anyone, regardless of whether or not the patient has a religious affiliation – and some chaplains themselves are not religious. Jacob Wackerhausen/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Amy Lawton, Brandeis University

Published: September 7th, 2023

In times of loss, change or other challenges, chaplains can listen, provide comfort and discuss spiritual needs. These spiritual caregivers can be found working in hospitals, universities, prisons and many other secular settings, serving people of all faiths and those with no faith tradition at all.

Yet a common assumption is that chaplains themselves must be grounded in a religious tradition. After all, how can you be a religious leader without religion?

In reality, a growing number of chaplains are nonreligious: people who identify as atheist, agnostic, humanist or “spiritual but not religious.” I am a sociologist and research manager at Brandeis University’s Chaplaincy Innovation Lab, where our team researches and supports chaplains of all faiths, including those from nonreligious backgrounds. Our current research has focused on learning from 21 nonreligious chaplains about their experiences.

A changing society

Thirty percent of Americans are religiously unaffiliated. Research suggests that people who are atheists or otherwise nonreligious sometimes reject a chaplain out of wariness, or shut down a conversation if they feel judged for their beliefs. But this research has not accounted for a new, increasingly likely situation – that the chaplain might also be nonreligious.

No national survey has been done, so the number of nonreligious chaplains is unknown. But there is plenty of reason to think that as more Americans choose not to affiliate with any particular religion, so too do more chaplains.

Nonreligious chaplains have been a part of hospital systems and universities for years, but they came into the national spotlight in August 2021 when Harvard University’s organization of chaplains unanimously elected humanist and atheist Greg Epstein as president. Humanists believe in the potential and goodness of human beings without reference to the supernatural.

Other recent reporting on humanist chaplains has also focused on school campuses, but nonreligious chaplains are not limited to colleges and universities. Eighteen of the 21 nonreligious chaplains we spoke with in our study work in health care, including hospice. The Federal Bureau of Prisons allows nonreligious chaplains, but we were unable to find any of them to participate in the current study.

A middle-aged man and woman seated in a row of chairs turn around to talk with a handful of college-age kids.
Humanist chaplain Bart Campolo, center, and his wife, Marty, right, mingle with students at the University of Southern California in 2015. AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

Not all settings allow nonreligious chaplains, however, including the U.S. military.

Authentic calling

The idea of a “call” from God is central to many religious vocations: a strong impulse toward religious leadership, which many people attribute to the divine.

Chaplains who are atheists, agnostics, humanists or who consider themselves spiritual but not religious also can feel called. But they do not believe that their calls come from a deity.

Joe, for example, an atheist and a humanist whom we interviewed, has worked as a chaplain in hospitals and hospices. He says that his “light bulb moment” came after a history professor told him that beliefs are the source of a community’s power. While atheists do not believe in God or gods, many do have strong beliefs about ethics and morality, and American atheists are more likely than American Christians to say they often feel a sense of wonder about the universe. Joe’s call was not “from a divine source,” but nonetheless, he says this experience “kind of filled me with a sense of control, and confidence, and presence” in his life that grounded his sense of a calling.

Sunil, another chaplain our team interviewed, was inspired by his college chaplain, whom he calls “a really influential presence.” The chaplain helped Sunil answer questions about identity and values without “necessarily having any religious or spiritual leanings to it,” and encouraged him to go to divinity school.

Today, Sunil tries to help others answer those same questions in his work as a health care chaplain – and to offer deeply thoughtful, meaningful spiritual care to people who aren’t religious.

Education and training

Most chaplaincy jobs require a theological degree. Along with coursework in sacred scriptures and religious leadership, chaplaincy training usually involves clinical pastoral education, where students learn about hands-on, care-oriented aspects of their profession. This involves learning to provide care to everyone, regardless of their religious background.

Although coursework is broadly the same for all students, religious or nonreligious, the actual experience of earning a degree is very different for nonreligious students. In the United States, Christian students are easily able to enroll in a seminary or divinity school that shares their faith identity and spend their years of study learning about their own tradition.

Chaplaincy programs that focus on non-Christian traditions are available, but scarcer, and our team does not know of an overtly nonreligious chaplaincy program. In recent years, more seminaries have welcomed nonreligious students, but nonetheless, nonreligious students often find themselves focusing their study on traditions to which they have no personal connection.

Yet there is a surprising bright side.

‘I am here to support you’

Being deeply immersed in traditions that are not one’s own is one of the reasons that nonreligious chaplains can be so effective.

A poster that says 'We are with you,' with an illustration of someone sitting in scrubs as dozens of ghostly figures hold them.
Artwork posted by a chaplain in a break room in the trauma surgery ICU at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. David Ryder/Getty Images

For example, our team asked Kathy, a health care chaplain, how she approaches prayer with religious and nonreligious patients. “My goal is to try to meet that person where they are and pray in a way that’s helpful and comforting for them, or meets whatever the need is that’s arisen during the conversation that we’ve had,” she said. Like all chaplains, Kathy is there to accompany, not proselytize. While she herself prays to the “great mystery,” she is comfortable facilitating whatever prayer is needed.

Claire, a chaplaincy student, agreed with Kathy and described her own first experience meeting an evangelical Christian patient. It was easy, she said, because “you’re not trying to fix anything. You’re just trying to meet them where they are. So that’s it.”

Nonreligious chaplains are used to thinking outside the box. Having learned about major world religions, many of them can find overlapping values and beliefs with their patients, such as finding beauty and meaning in the natural world or finding strength in their conviction that human beings are inherently good.

Cynthia works in the palliative care department in a hospital and tells her patients, “I am here to support you in whatever is meaningful to you right now and whatever is most important in your life in this moment.” She asks patients: “What are you struggling with right now? What are your goals? What do you hope for? What are you afraid of?” – trying to “unpack that with a spiritual lens rather than a medical lens.”

Cynthia is an example of why spiritual care by nonreligious chaplains may be surprising, but is likely here to stay. Based on our research, nonreligious chaplains are as capable as religious chaplains of meeting a person in their darkest hour and taking them by the hand.

Amy Lawton, Research Manager, Chaplaincy Innovation Lab, Brandeis University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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That last sentence may be opened up even more. In that the article speaks of chaplains, both religious and nonreligious. But as someone who was a counsellor with the Prince’s Youth Business Trust some years ago, now The Prince’s Trust, it is my opinion that anyone who is an active listener can undertake the role.

The article has many fine points including one that I had not considered before. “That American atheists are more likely than American Christians to say they often feel a sense of wonder about the universe.” I am certain that this isn’t confined to Americans.

Dogs learn things in a way we may not realise.

A fascinating article in The Conversation.

I was very short of time yesterday so my apologies for going straight into this post. Plus, it is a post that talks about the learning process for dogs and, as such, looking more thoroughly will discover more material.

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Canines go to college in this class that seeks to give shelter dogs a fresh start

By Shlomit Flaisher-Grinberg

Associate Professor of Psychology, Saint Francis University

Published August 24th, 2023

Shelter animals often display problematic behaviors. Can they be retrained? Shlomit Flaisher-Grinberg

What prompted the idea for the course?

When I was growing up, my love for animals led me to volunteer at animal shelters. But it wasn’t until I started teaching psychology that I found another way to support the well-being of shelter animals. During my first year of teaching a psychology course about learning, I realized that the course’s content could be used to train shelter dogs.

Since some shelter dogs display problematic behaviors, such as fearfulness, destructiveness and disobedience, they are less likely to get adopted. I wanted my students to use their knowledge, passion and care to train shelter dogs and improve their chances of finding a permanent home.

What does the course explore?

The course teaches students how to apply behavioral analysis and modification techniques toward the training of shelter dogs. Students work with dogs on learning to follow cues such as “sit,” “down,” “stay” and “come”; perform tricks such as “high-five,” and “roll over”; and complete agility courses made of tunnels, hoops and weaving poles.

The course also explores the emotional, psychological and physiological benefits of the human-animal bond, such as reduced stress, by integrating the dogs into educational and therapeutic environments. For instance, the students train the dogs to sit by them calmly for the entire duration of a lecture. This skill may be important for future adopters who work within an educational setting or need their dog to accompany them into the classroom.

The students also train the dogs to visit our clinical educational facility, the Experiential Learning Commons, which was built as a mock hospital. Within our simulated emergency room, intensive care room, patient room, maternity room and exam room, students train the dogs to walk next to simulated patients’ wheelchairs, sit by patients’ beds and provide them with affectionate and nurturing companionship.

Finally, the course instructs students on how to apply for grants for nonprofits, with the idea being to secure funding to support animal shelters.

Why is this course relevant now?

This course creates a collaborative and reciprocal partnership between a university and the community in which it is located. Focusing on the care for shelter dogs, it allows for faculty, students and a shelter’s staff and volunteers to exchange knowledge and resources. As such, it uses an instructional approach known as community engagement.

What’s a critical lesson from the course?

Working alongside our animal shelter community partners, and under the direction of my co-instructor, talented dog trainer Megan Mills, students learn that they can make a true and visible impact on society, one dog at a time.

What materials does the course feature?

Michael Domjan’s “The Principles of Learning and Behavior”

Cynthia K. Chandler’s “Animal-Assisted Therapy in Counseling”

“Handbook on Animal-Assisted Therapy,” edited by Aubrey H. Fine

What will the course prepare students to do?

Students will learn to use psychological learning principles to work effectively with shelter dogs – and this knowledge can later be translated to other domains of their lives. I believe that by training shelter dogs and learning to write nonprofit grant proposals, my students will develop into ethical and responsible citizens – both locally and globally.

Shlomit Flaisher-Grinberg, Associate Professor of Psychology, Saint Francis University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Further to my introduction I want to explore the links in the article for I’m sure they have a great deal more to say about dogs.

The more that we explore what dogs mean to us humans the more I find out about the incredible qualities of Canis familiaris or Canis lupus familiaris.

Return to Parkinson’s

Three promising developments in Parkinson’s research.

As I am sure most of you know Jean was diagnosed in having Parkinson’s Disease (PD) in late 2015 and from that moment on I have taken more than a superficial interest in PD. Especially as my best friend in England, Richard M. was similarly diagnosed in late 2015 – “the fickle finger of fate“.

So a recent Neuro Talk from the Parkinson’s Foundation is my contribution for today.

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Three Promising Developments in Parkinson’s Research

Jun 27, 2023

For more information on this topic, visit: https://www.parkinson.org/advancing-r…

Every year, the Parkinson’s Foundation funds the most exciting and promising research ideas in the Parkinson’s disease (PD) field.

In our latest Neuro Talk, Chief Scientific Officer James Beck, PhD, is joined by three researchers whose studies were funded by the Parkinson’s Foundation. Their projects, which range from investigating environmental factors to understanding cognition, explain how research is helping us further our understanding of Parkinson’s.

Helpful resources: – Parkinson’s Foundation Helpline: 1-800-4PD-INFO (1-800-473-4636) | Helpline@Parkinson.org | https://www.parkinson.org/resources-s…

– Resources for those who are new to Parkinson’s disease: http://www.parkinson.org/living-with-parkinsons/new-to-parkinsons

– Aware in Care hospital safety kit: https://www.parkinson.org/resources-s…

– PD Health @ Home programs: https://www.parkinson.org/resources-s…

What is the Parkinson’s Foundation? The Parkinson’s Foundation makes life better for people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) by improving care and advancing research toward a cure. In everything we do, we build on the energy, experience and passion of our global Parkinson’s community. Learn more on our website: https://www.parkinson.org/

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For those that wish to understand PD in a scientific manner, here is a quote from the PD:

What is Parkinson’s disease? Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative, progressive disorder that affects predominately dopamineproducing neurons in a specific area of the brain called substantia nigra

Koko’s last hunt

Jesse Anderson’s dog.

Back in mid-May I received an email from Jess. It said:

Paul, as of about two years ago I’ve been writing my life story.  I wanted my kids and grandkids to know what it was like when I was a kid.  Some of my best memories are times spent with my dogs.  This is one story I wrote about Koko’s last hunt. 

It was a lovely story and I have no idea why I have left it so long before publishing it. But here it is!

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Koko

By Jesse Anderson

When I was just a young boy, I was gifted a puppy that was a Chesapeake/setter cross.  Because of his chocolate color, we called him Koko.  Koko was my constant companion thru everything I did as a kid.  When I was old enough to hunt, he was my bird dog, and a good one he was.

My family was a very poor one.  Our house was about 750 square feet, and there were eight of us living in it.  There were four boys in the same bed, and there was still room for Koko.  

It just got too crowded in that little house, so in my junior year I went to the old barn and took over one of the calf sheds, turning it into my very own bedroom.  It would be my very first one!  I made a bunk, covered it with straw, swept the dirt floor and put an old rug on it, then hung some of my paintings on the walls.  It was far from perfect, but Koko and I thought it was incredible.  He slept, with me, inside my sleeping bag on the straw.  No one was allowed inside unless they were invited.

With six kids and a disabled father, it took a lot to keep things going.  We all worked in the fields, even at a very young age.  When hunting seasons started, it was my que to get out there and put as much game in the freezer as I could.  My mother had worked for a meat packing company, and when they bought new equipment, they gave us the old freezer.  I tried my best to keep it full.

Koko and I were tied at the hip.  When we hunted, even with others, he was always aware to my presence.  Anytime a bird was shot, it was always brought back to me.  I could control him with nothing more than a hand signal.  Some of the best times I had, as a kid, were out in the field with that dog.  He was my very best friend.

As he grew older his hips started going bad.  One morning I got my shotgun out and headed for the car.  He could hardly get up, whimpering as he tried.  I decided to leave him behind, thinking it would be the best for him.  I was very wrong.

For the entire day he sat in front of the window, waiting for my return.  When I got home, I walked into the house with my days harvest, only to be met at the door by Koko.  He stood very still, staring me right in the eyes, for a long time.  Then he just turned and walked away.  He said everything he wanted to say.  I just felt terrible.  I had let my best friend down.  After that, if I knew his hips were bad that day, and some were worse than others, I would sneak out the back bedroom window before I left.

I went into the Army shortly after I graduated from High School.  After basic, I came home, bringing one of the recruits from Guam with me.  He got to see this wonderful dog in action.  Again, I had to leave, this time being stationed in Alabama.  A year later the Army thought I should be in Germany.  I, once again, came home on leave.  By this time, old Koko was completely deaf, couldn’t smell a skunk, and his eyes were failing.  It really hurts me to see my dogs get old.  That’s the only real fault they have.

I decided that I had to take him out for the last big hunt. I owed him that much after all the years we had together. I had to pick him up and put him in the car, but he knew we were going hunting, and the look on his face was incredible!  Don’t tell me that a dog can’t smile.  That smile said it all!

When we got into the field, he knew he couldn’t hear, and after every ten or twelve steps, he would look at me to see if he was doing what I wanted.  A big rooster pheasant flew up and I shot it.  Koko didn’t even hear the shot.  When he looked up to get directions, I guided him right to the bird.  You have never seen a happier dog in your life.  He laid that bird at my feet and looked me right in the eye and had the hugest smile on his face.  I knelt down to him and cried such happy tears, hugging him the entire time.  I was so happy that I was able to bring such joy into that old man’s life.

That would be the last time I would see him.  Germany kept me for another year and a half, and his age caught up to him.  I was notified thru the mail that he had died.  The vision that has stuck with me my entire life, and now I’m 76, is the look on that old dog’s face the day we had his last hunt.  It could not have been planned better.   JESS

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What a beautiful account of Koko.

Jesse is just a couple of years younger than me so I resonate with him. I still miss Pharaoh, my German-Shepherd, and he died in 2017. Dogs are incredible companions.

Jesse has his own website that is here. I share with you a little bit about Jesse from his website.

Born in Nampa, Idaho, Jesse Anderson has been doing artwork most of his life.  There wasn’t a time, as a youngster, that he wasn’t sitting and drawing whatever his fancy was at the moment.  He was given his first set of oil paints at age 11. In High School he was encouraged by his art teacher, Dorothy Long, to pursue art as far as he could go and they stayed in touch for the next 40 years.  After high school, Jess went directly into the U.S. Army.  Upon learning of his art abilities, Uncle Sam saw fit to put him in charge of the Battalion Training-Aids Department  (aka, the art department).  Following his discharge in 1968, he enrolled in Boise State College in hopes of getting a degree in Commercial Art.  The College would only allow ONE art class the first year, and it was beginning drawing.  This was not what he was looking for as the next step in his art career so he dropped out.   Before leaving college, he met Cheryl, his wife of over 50 years.  With Cheryl working as a bookkeeper to keep the bills paid, he enrolled in the “Advertising Art School” in Portland, Oregon where he graduated top of his class.   He started his own commercial art business and his dream of making a living as a full time artist was in motion.

Perfect!

These Heat Waves?

What is the truth?

Today, August 14th, here in Southern Oregon we are expecting 111 degrees Fahrenheit or 43.8 degrees C. That is really hot! (And at home it reached 108 deg. F. at 3pm.)

So it seems pertinent to republish a post from The Conversation that was published on July 21st, 2023.

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Is it really hotter now than any time in 100,000 years?

By Darrell Kaufman

Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Northern Arizona University

As scorching heat grips large swaths of the Earth, a lot of people are trying to put the extreme temperatures into context and asking: When was it ever this hot before?

Globally, 2023 has seen some of the hottest days in modern measurements, but what about farther back, before weather stations and satellites?

Some news outlets have reported that daily temperatures hit a 100,000-year high. 

As a paleoclimate scientist who studies temperatures of the past, I see where this claim comes from, but I cringe at the inexact headlines. While this claim may well be correct, there are no detailed temperature records extending back 100,000 years, so we don’t know for sure.

Here’s what we can confidently say about when Earth was last this hot.

This is a new climate state

Scientists concluded a few years ago that Earth had entered a new climate state not seen in more than 100,000 years. As fellow climate scientist Nick McKay and I recently discussed in a scientific journal article, that conclusion was part of a climate assessment report published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2021.

Earth was already more than 1 degree Celsius (1.8 Fahrenheit) warmer than preindustrial times, and the levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere were high enough to assure temperatures would stay elevated for a long time.

Earth’s average temperature has exceeded 1 degree Celsius (1.8 F) above the preindustrial baseline. This new climate state will very likely persist for centuries as the warmest period in more than 100,000 years. The chart shows different reconstructions of temperature over time, with measured temperatures since 1850 and a projection to 2300 based on an intermediate emissions scenario. D.S. Kaufman and N.P. McKay, 2022, and published datasets, Author provided

Even under the most optimistic scenarios of the future – in which humans stop burning fossil fuels and reduce other greenhouse gas emissions – average global temperature will very likely remain at least 1 C above preindustrial temperatures, and possibly much higher, for multiple centuries.

This new climate state, characterized by a multi-century global warming level of 1 C and higher, can be reliably compared with temperature reconstructions from the very distant past.

How we estimate past temperature

To reconstruct temperatures from times before thermometers, paleoclimate scientists rely on information stored in a variety of natural archives.

The most widespread archive going back many thousands of years is at the bottom of lakes and oceans, where an assortment of biological, chemical and physical evidence offers clues to the past. These materials build up continuously over time and can be analyzed by extracting a sediment core from the lake bed or ocean floor.

University of Arizona scientist Ellie Broadman holds a sediment core from the bottom of a lake on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula. Emily Stone

These sediment-based records are rich sources of information that have enabled paleoclimate scientists to reconstruct past global temperatures, but they have important limitations.

For one, bottom currents and burrowing organisms can mix the sediment, blurring any short-term temperature spikes. For another, the timeline for each record is not known precisely, so when multiple records are averaged together to estimate past global temperature, fine-scale fluctuations can be canceled out.

Because of this, paleoclimate scientists are reluctant to compare the long-term record of past temperature with short-term extremes.

Looking back tens of thousands of years

Earth’s average global temperature has fluctuated between glacial and interglacial conditions in cycles lasting around 100,000 years, driven largely by slow and predictable changes in Earth’s orbit with attendant changes in greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. We are currently in an interglacial period that began around 12,000 years ago as ice sheets retreated and greenhouse gases rose.

Looking at that 12,000-year interglacial period, global temperature averaged over multiple centuries might have peaked roughly around 6,000 years ago, but probably did not exceed the 1 C global warming level at that point, according to the IPCC report. Another study found that global average temperatures continued to increase across the interglacial period. This is a topic of active research.

That means we have to look farther back to find a time that might have been as warm as today.

The last glacial episode lasted nearly 100,000 years. There is no evidence that long-term global temperatures reached the preindustrial baseline anytime during that period.

If we look even farther back, to the previous interglacial period, which peaked around 125,000 years ago, we do find evidence of warmer temperatures. The evidence suggests the long-term average temperature was probably no more than 1.5 C (2.7 F) above preindustrial levels – not much more than the current global warming level.

Now what?

Without rapid and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, the Earth is currently on course to reach temperatures of roughly 3 C (5.4 F) above preindustrial levels by the end of the century, and possibly quite a bit higher.

At that point, we would need to look back millions of years to find a climate state with temperatures as hot. That would take us back to the previous geologic epoch, the Pliocene, when the Earth’s climate was a distant relative of the one that sustained the rise of agriculture and civilization.

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It is difficult to know what to say other than one hopes that Governments and country leaders recognise the situation and DO SOMETHING!

As Dr. Michael Mann put it in the last issue of The Humanist: “The only obstacles aren’t the laws of physics, but the flaws in our politics.“

I have a son and a daughter in their early 50’s and a grandson who is 12. They, along with millions of other younger people, need action now.

Please!

Welcome to the fold, Jonathan.

Another dog lover coming to the blogging world.

Last Wednesday, the 2nd, Jonathan sent me an email. He said that he was just starting out and also attached a file and asking if there was a chance of me publishing it. Of course, I replied. Here is that article. It is a very open and beautiful account of Jonathan taking on a new dog!

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Remarks from a New Dog Owner!

by Jonathan, Fur The Pups

furthepupsblog.com

Backing the twenty-foot Penske rental down the freshly grated driveway, my mind is racing with thoughts, all too distracted to be driving such a large vehicle. The day has finally come. A new house. A new dog. A new town. Altogether, a new beginning. Soon after I finish backing this truck up, unloading all of my stuff, and fueling myself with whatever food I can find, I will go pick up the new dog. His name is Barry. He is a brown labradoodle whose is as small as he is energetic.

The thoughts don’t stop coming. How will I care for him? How will I be sure he is happy? What if I do something wrong? How could it possibly be that I can provide for another living being? These are thoughts that had come and gone for the last few months after deciding I would like to have Barry. As often as I convinced myself that I could do it, I questioned myself.

Anxiety and I were well acquainted far before Barry came into the picture. The prospect of owning a dog was just another medium for the anxiety to surface. Before Barry came into the picture, I had been battling anxiety for nearly six months straight. One imperfect travel experience left me rattled for quite some time and from then on I was either actively experiencing a panic attack or on the verge of one. Depression set in not long after, and I became an empty vessel for quite some time, barely recognizable from my formal self. Six months came and went until I finally sought out the help I needed. I was a broken person. Professional help was a requirement.

And the professional help was sufficient. It allowed me to at least function again and go about my day-to-day without constantly being in a state of fight-or-flight, without the irrational thoughts and worries. But I still did not feel like myself.

And then came Barry.

My original worries regarding Barry were just that: worries. As someone who grew up around dogs, cared for dogs, dog-sat plenty of times, and generally is quite responsible, there was no real reason to believe I couldn’t be a wonderful puppy parent. When Barry came home the first night we had to bath him. I know this is not always highly regarded in the dog community due to the puppy’s sensitive skin. But he needed a bath desperately, so I drew a slightly warmer-than-lukewarm bath and bathed him. His beautiful eyes gazed at me as he began to figure out this new reality. Ripped from the comfortable arms of his previous reality of familial warmth, loving siblings, and the scent of his breeders, there is no doubt he also experienced anxiety. I’m sure he felt loneliness. He was scared. But when his bath was over, I took him out, wrapped him in a warm, clean towel, and held him. He wiggled his head into a nook in the towel and promptly fell asleep. His stomach rose, fell, rose, fell. This being who just met me several hours ago, who was no more than 2 months old, gave all of his trust to me and embraced his new reality.

It did not take me long to follow in his footsteps and embrace my new reality. I fell in love with our new routine, our daily walks, and his company on my usually lonesome days. The subtle tether of Anxiety slowly began to vanish with every new command he learned, with every minuscule improvement in his loose-leash walking, with every excited tail wag at the call of his name. Embracing my new reality became effortless, and my former self reemerged. I began seeking out new hobbies, reaching out to old friends, and becoming excited about new challenges at work. This is not to say Anxiety and I have completely lost touch. That is not the case by any means. Rather I have a new relationship with Anxiety – one where the reality of these feelings can be observed, examined, and ridiculed to a point where they do not take control of my life. How our loving canine friends handle new situations and welcome change should not be taken for granted. Let us adopt their ways and come closer to living as wonderfully as they do. 🙂

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And now the photograph of Barry!

What a gorgeous dog. Well done!

And, please, go to Jonathan’s blog. Fur The Pup’s Blog.

The Earth became very quiet!

An essay from The Conversation aimed at our youngsters but highly relevant to us all!

I sense we are living in very strange times. As an extract from recent essay from George Monbiot said:

Above all, our ability to adapt to massive change depends on what practitioners call “metacognition” and “meta-skills”. Metacognition means thinking about thinking. In a brilliant essay for the Journal of Academic Perspectives, Natasha Robson argues that while metacognition is implicit in current teaching – “show your working”, “justify your arguments” – it should be explicit and sustained. Schoolchildren should be taught to understand how thinking works, from neuroscience to cultural conditioning; how to observe and interrogate their thought processes; and how and why they might become vulnerable to disinformation and exploitation. Self-awareness could turn out to be the most important topic of all.

Thinking about Thinking

That is why I want to share a recent post from The Conversation with you.

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If humans went extinct, what would the Earth look like one year later?

A glimpse of a post-apocalyptic world. Bulgar/E+ via Getty Images

Carlton Basmajian, Iowa State University

If humans went extinct, what would the Earth look like one year later? – Essie, age 11, Michigan

Have you ever wondered what the world would be like if everyone suddenly disappeared?

What would happen to all our stuff? What would happen to our houses, our schools, our neighborhoods, our cities? Who would feed the dog? Who would cut the grass? Although it’s a common theme in movies, TV shows and books, the end of humanity is still a strange thing to think about.

But as an associate professor of urban design – that is, someone who helps towns and cities plan what their communities will look like – it’s sometimes my job to think about prospects like this.

So much silence

If humans just disappeared from the world, and you could come back to Earth to see what had happened one year later, the first thing you’d notice wouldn’t be with your eyes.

It would be with your ears.

The world would be quiet. And you would realize how much noise people make. Our buildings are noisy. Our cars are noisy. Our sky is noisy. All of that noise would stop.

You’d notice the weather. After a year without people, the sky would be bluer, the air clearer. The wind and the rain would scrub clean the surface of the Earth; all the smog and dust that humans make would be gone.

An illustration of a large city park with a deer standing in the middle of a tree-lined path.
It wouldn’t be long before wild animals visited our once well-trodden cities. Boris SV/Moment via Getty Images

Home sweet home

Imagine that first year, when your house would sit unbothered by anyone.

Go inside your house – and hope you’re not thirsty, because no water would be in your faucets. Water systems require constant pumping. If no one’s at the public water supply to manage the machines that pump water, then there’s no water.

But the water that was in the pipes when everyone disappeared would still be there when the first winter came – so on the first cold snap, the frigid air would freeze the water in the pipes and burst them.

There would be no electricity. Power plants would stop working because no one would monitor them and maintain a supply of fuel. So your house would be dark, with no lights, TV, phones or computers.

Your house would be dusty. Actually, there’s dust in the air all the time, but we don’t notice it because our air conditioning systems and heaters blow air around. And as you move through the rooms in your house, you keep dust on the move too. But once all that stops, the air inside your house would be still and the dust would settle all over.

The grass in your yard would grow – and grow and grow until it got so long and floppy it would stop growing. New weeds would appear, and they would be everywhere.

Lots of plants that you’ve never seen before would take root in your yard. Every time a tree drops a seed, a little sapling might grow. No one would be there to pull it out or cut it down.

You’d notice a lot more bugs buzzing around. Remember, people tend to do everything they can to get rid of bugs. They spray the air and the ground with bug spray. They remove bug habitat. They put screens on the windows. And if that doesn’t work, they swat them.

Without people doing all these things, the bugs would come back. They would have free rein of the world again.

Surrounded by hills and mountains is an isolated two-lane road, cracked and crumbling.
Given enough time, roads would start to crumble. Armastas/iStock via Getty Images Plus

On the street where you live

In your neighborhood, critters would wander around, looking and wondering.

First the little ones: mice, groundhogs, raccoons, skunks, foxes and beavers. That last one might surprise you, but North America was once rich with beavers.

Bigger animals would come later – deer, coyotes and the occasional bear. Not in the first year, maybe, but eventually.

With no electric lights, the rhythm of the natural world would return. The only light would be from the Sun, the Moon and the stars. The night critters would feel good they got their dark sky back.

Fires would happen frequently. Lightning might strike a tree or a field and set brush on fire, or hit the houses and buildings. Without people to put them out, those fires would keeping going until they burned themselves out.

Around your city

After just one year, the concrete stuff – roads, highways, bridges and buildings – would look about the same.

Come back, say, a decade later, and cracks in them would have appeared, with little plants wiggling up through them. This happens because the Earth is constantly moving. With this motion comes pressure, and with this pressure come cracks. Eventually, the roads would crack so much they would look like broken glass, and even trees would grow through them.

Bridges with metal legs would slowly rust. The beams and bolts that hold the bridges up would rust too. But the big concrete bridges, and the interstate highways, also concrete, would last for centuries.

The dams and levees that people have built on the rivers and streams of the world would erode. Farms would fall back to nature. The plants we eat would begin to disappear. Not much corn or potatoes or tomatoes anymore.

Farm animals would be easy prey for bears, coyotes, wolves and panthers. And pets? The cats would go feral – that is, they would become wild, though many would be preyed upon by larger animals. Most dogs wouldn’t survive, either.

An asteroid hit and a solar flare are two of the ways the world could end.

Like ancient Rome

In a thousand years, the world you remember would still be vaguely recognizable. Some things would remain; it would depend on the materials they were made of, the climate they’re in, and just plain luck. An apartment building here, a movie theater there, or a crumbling shopping mall would stand as monuments to a lost civilization. The Roman Empire collapsed more than 1,500 years ago, yet you can see some remnants even today.

If nothing else, humans’ suddenly vanishing from the world would reveal something about the way we treated the Earth. It would also show us that the world we have today can’t survive without us and that we can’t survive if we don’t care for it. To keep it working, civilization – like anything else – requires constant upkeep.

Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com. Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live.

And since curiosity has no age limit – adults, let us know what you’re wondering, too. We won’t be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.

Carlton Basmajian, Associate Professor of Community and Regional Planning, Urban Design, Iowa State University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Returning to that George Monbiot essay and his closing paragraphs:

Meta-skills are the overarching aptitudes – such as self-development, social intelligence, openness, resilience and creativity – that help us acquire the new competencies that sudden change demands. Like metacognition, meta-skills can be taught. Unfortunately, some public bodies are trapped in the bleak and narrow instrumentalism we need to transcend. For example, after identifying empathy as a crucial meta-skill, a manual by Skills Development Scotland reports that: “Empathy has been identified as a key differentiator for business success, with companies such as Facebook, Google and Unilever being recognised as excelling in this area.” I’ve seldom read a more depressing sentence.

Schooling alone will not be enough to lead us out of the many crises and disasters we now face. Those who are adult today must take responsibility for confronting them. But it should at least lend us a torch.

Thinking about Thinking

We live in a very strange world now. One truly wonders how those who are younger will respond to the demands.

The Secret Life of Dogs

This is a fascinating series of articles.

Copyright (2023) National Geographic Partners, LLC. (I hope me sharing this image with you is alright.)

National Geographic published the above edition of their magazine recently that consists of three chapters: From Wolf to Wolf; The Human-Dog Bond; Inside Dog Behaviour.

In that first chapter it is stated that: “The exact timing of the appearance of the domesticated dog is hotly debated, but based on the latest science, it most likely falls somewhere between 15,000 and 40,000 years ago.”

So when I wrote on the home page of this blog all those years ago, “Yet they have been part of man’s world for an unimaginable time, at least 30,000 years.“, I wasn’t far wrong.

If you can possibly purchase a copy then please do. National Geographic provide back issues while Ebay, Amazon and others also sell this. You will not regret it!