Poster of the exhibit of Antonio Soler, a good friend from Spain. / Para los amigos españoles, por si caminan en los alrededores de Alicante.
Gracias por su visita. / Thanks for visiting, its most appreciated.
Why People Love Dogs
It's more complicated than you think.
By Jon Katz
We love our dogs. A lot. So much that we rarely wonder why anymore.
John Archer, a psychologist at the University of Central Lancashire, has been puzzling for some time over why people love their pets. In evolutionary terms, love for dogs and other pets "poses a problem," he writes. Being attached to animals is not, strictly speaking, necessary for human health and welfare. True, studies show that people with pets live a bit longer and have better blood pressure than benighted nonowners, but in the literal sense, we don't really need all those dogs and cats to survive.
Archer's alternative Darwinian theory: Pets manipulate the same instincts and responses that have evolved to facilitate human relationships, "primarily (but not exclusively) those between parent and child."
They dance with joy when we come home, put their heads on our knees and stare longingly into our eyes. Ah, we think, at last, the love and loyalty we so richly deserve and so rarely receive. Over thousands of years of living with humans, dogs have become wily and transfixing sidekicks with the particularly appealing characteristic of being unable to speak. We are therefore free to fill in the blanks with what we need to hear. (What the dog may really be telling us, much of the time, is, "Feed me.")
As Archer dryly puts it, "Continuing features of the interaction with the pet prove satisfying for the owner."
It's a good deal for the pets, too, since we respond by spending lavishly on organic treats and high-quality health care.
Psychologist Brian Hare of Harvard has also studied the human-animal bond and reports that dogs are astonishingly skilled at reading humans' patterns of social behavior, especially behaviors related to food and care. They figure out our moods and what makes us happy, what moves us. Then they act accordingly, and we tell ourselves that they're crazy about us.
"It appears that dogs have evolved specialized skills for reading human social and communicative behavior," Hare concludes, which is why dogs live so much better than moles.
If the dog's love is just an evolutionary trick, does that diminish it? I don't think so. Dogs have figured out how to insinuate themselves into human society in ways that benefit us both. We get affection and attention. They get the same, plus food, shelter, and protection. To grasp this exchange doesn't trivialize our love, it explains it. [Slate.com]
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Buddha:
If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.
How about your broadband speed?
[Speedtest.net]Mexico is so low and very expensive [$90 U.S. Dlls./month] Para el desarrollo del pais, si algun dia llega, es indispensable contar con un servicio de internet mas rapido y accesible para todos.
Gracias por su visita. / Thanks for visiting, its most appreciated.
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Gracias por su visita. / Thanks for visiting, its most appreciated.
Gracias por su visita. / Thanks for visiting, its most appreciated.
How would you describe creativity?
It’s godlike. It’s a life-giving thing, instead of the death rhythm
people are exhibiting. It’s getting out of the mould. It’s using the
mind, the imagination, the heart, the spirit... things we don’t see
in daily life. Who shows his heart? Who shows imagination?
Conversations with Henry Miller.
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[PhoneCamShot]
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The Mexico City Metro is a rubber-tyred metro system that serves the metropolitan area of Mexico City (this includes some municipalities in Mexico State). It is the second largest metro system in North America after the New York City Subway, and in 2006 the system served 1.417 billion passengers, placing it as the sixth highest ridership in the world.
The first Metro line relied on 16 stations, and was opened to the public in 1969. It has expanded since then in a series of fits and starts, comprising currently eleven lines and 451 kilometres of passenger track. Ten lines feature rubber tires (also called pneumatic traction) instead of traditional steel wheels, decreasing noise and making it easier for the system to manage Mexico City's unstable soils.
The Metro has 163 stations, 24 of which serve two or more lines (correspondencias or commuting stations). It has 106 underground stations (the deepest of which are 35 metres below street surface); 53 surface stations and 16 elevated stations. Eleven stations are located in Mexico State. This area where the stations are located is part of the metropolitan area of Mexico City, while the rest are within the limits of the suburbs with Mexico State.[Wiki]
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Gracias por su visita. / Thanks for visiting, its most appreciated.
Gracias por su visita. / Thanks for visiting, its most appreciated.
Gracias por su visita. / Thanks for visiting, its most appreciated.
Gracias por su visita. / Thanks for visiting, its most appreciated.
Gracias por su visita. / Thanks for visiting, its most appreciated.
Gracias por su visita. / Thanks for visiting, its most appreciated.
Gracias por su visita. / Thanks for visiting, its most appreciated.
Gracias por su visita. / Thanks for visiting, its most appreciated.
Gracias por su visita. / Thanks for visiting, its most appreciated.
Gracias por su visita. / Thanks for visiting, its most appreciated.
Gracias por su visita. / Thanks for visiting, its most appreciated.
Gracias por su visita. / Thanks for visiting, its most appreciated.
Endangered species
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has calculated the percentage of endangered species as 40 percent of all organisms based on the sample of species that have been evaluated through 2006.
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Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has calculated the percentage of endangered species as 40 percent of all organisms based on the sample of species that have been evaluated through 2006. Many nations have laws offering protection to conservation reliant species: for example, forbidding hunting, restricting land development or creating preserves. Only a few of the many species at risk of extinction actually make it to the lists and obtain legal protection. Many more species become extinct, or potentially will become extinct, without gaining public notice.
• Extinct: the last remaining member of the species has died, or is presumed beyond reasonable doubt to have died. Examples: Thylacine, Dodo, Passenger Pigeon, Caribbean Monk Seal
• Extinct in the wild: captive individuals survive, but there is no free-living, natural population. Examples:South China Tiger, Alagoas Curassow
• Critically endangered: faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the immediate future. Examples: Arakan Forest Turtle, Javan Rhino, Brazilian Merganser, Gharial
• Endangered: faces a very high risk of extinction in the near future. Examples: Blue Whale, Giant Panda, Snow Leopard, African Wild Dog, Tiger, Albatross, Crowned Solitary Eagle, Dhole, Rangas
• Vulnerable: faces a high risk of extinction in the medium-term. Examples: Cheetah, Gaur, Lion, Sloth Bear, Man, Wolverine, Manatee
• Conservation Dependent: The following animal is not severely threatened, but the animal must depend on conservation programs. Examples: Spotted Hyena, Leopard Shark, Black Caiman
• Near Threatened: may be considered threatened in the near future. Examples: Blue-billed Duck, Solitary Eagle, Small-clawed Otter , Maned Wolf
• Least Concern: no immediate threat to the survival of the species. Examples: Brown Rat, Nootka Cypress, Wood Pigeon, Harp Seal. [Wiki]
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Gracias por su visita. / Thanks for visiting, its most appreciated.
