by Frank T. McAndrew, The Conversation

Recently, my wife and I went through one of the more excruciating experiences of our lives – the euthanasia of our beloved dog, Murphy. I remember making eye contact with Murphy moments before she took her last breath – she flashed me a look that was an endearing blend of confusion and the reassurance that everyone was ok because we were both by her side. When people who have never had a dog see their dog-owning friends mourn the loss of a pet, they probably think it’s all a bit of an overreaction; after all, it’s “just a dog.” However, those who have loved a dog know the truth: Your own pet is never “just a dog.” Many times, I’ve had friends guiltily confide to me that they grieved more over the loss of a dog than over the loss of friends or relatives. Research has confirmed that for most people, the loss of a dog is, in almost every way, comparable to the loss of a human loved one.

Unfortunately, there’s little in our cultural playbook – no grief rituals, no obituary in the local newspaper, no religious service – to help us get through the loss of a pet, which can make us feel more than a bit embarrassed to show too much public grief over our dead dogs. Perhaps if people realized just how strong and intense the bond is between people and their dogs, such grief would become more widely accepted. This would greatly help dog owners to integrate the death into their lives and help them move forward. An interspecies bond like no other What is it about dogs, exactly, that make humans bond so closely with them?

For starters, dogs have had to adapt to living with humans over the past 10,000 years. And they’ve done it very well: They’re the only animal to have evolved specifically to be our companions and friends. Anthropologist Brian Hare has developed the “Domestication Hypothesis” to explain how dogs morphed from their grey wolf ancestors into the socially skilled animals that we now interact with in very much the same way as we interact with other people.

Bodyguards protect Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, center left with hand on mouth, from water bottles thrown by demonstrators in downtown Beirut, …

By: middleeastmonitor.com

Anger flamed across Lebanon as lawmakers approved five new taxes on Wednesday, including increasing the VAT from 10 per cent to 11 per cent. The tax increases come in the latest wave of austerity measures to offer public sector workers – including police officers and teachers – new salary packages. Tax payers held protests across the country, angered by the measures and calling for the government to tackle corruption within the political system to fund development rather than increase excises. Another large-scale protest is due to take place in Beirut tomorrow.

Some 6,000 people are expected to join the march which is organised by the Lebanese Communist Party. The political group is calling on the government to “escalate social spending on health, education and development, wages and create jobs.” “We are protesting in rejection of unfair tax policies that pull money out of the pockets of the poor to finance waste and theft and corruption of power.”

The Daily Star – BEIRUT: Activists gathered in front of the Higher Islamic Shiite Council south of Beirut Saturday to decry the …