Seductive chemicals are hidden in sloppy kisses, scientists say, but even the most chaste caress can spark an intense hormonal response.
Men like sloppier kisses with more open mouth and that suggests to me that they are unconsciously trying to transfer testosterone to trigger the sex drive in women. Kissing can certainly open the door to sex. Men's preference for sloppy kisses with lots of tongue may help them over come their poor sense of smell and taste.
What they might be doing is trying to pick up the estrogen cycle in a woman to figure out the degree of her fertility. Kissing also stimulates an enormous part of the brain, but love can do even more, according to an experiment with MRI brain scans.
But it can also close it: a recent study found that the first kiss was the "kiss of death" for budding relationships.
Should you drool more? You don't want to turn off your partner. Kissing is a natural instinct that likely serves a number of evolutionary purposes.
People who had recently fallen in love had high levels of activity in the reward system in the brain that produces dopamine and is linked to craving, motivation, focused attention and goal-oriented behavior.
Long term lovers showed activity in the same "reward" area as new lovers but also showed activity in a region associated with the feeling of calm that produces the chemical serotonin and in the area that produces oxytocin, which is associated with pair-bonding.
Kissing raises oxytocin levels among men and also lowers stress hormones in both men and women, according to a study that will be presented at the conference Saturday.
Wendy Hill, a neuroscience professor at Lafayette College, tested the saliva and blood of 15 couples who spend 15 minutes either kissing or holding hands and talking.
She found that the women had significantly higher levels of the pair-bonding hormone than the men before the experiment started, but those levels dropped when they were tested after the experiment was completed.
It was a surprising result, which Hill said could be attributed to the fact that the test was run in the college's health center and that a bit of soft music and some flowers were not enough to get the women in the mood.
"We're running the setting again in a more romantic setting," Hill said. "It's a secluded room in an academic building. It has a couch, it has flowers, it has candles - electric because of fire hazard issues - and we have light jazz playing."
Showing posts with label recession proof jobs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recession proof jobs. Show all posts
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
Fairytale royal wedding
It's a fairytale wedding in a country in need of a boost: two strands of a dynasty that once ruled Georgia are joining together to end centuries of division in one of Europe's oldest royal houses.
The wedding of Prince David Bagrationi-Mukhraneli and Princess Anna Bagrationi-Gruzinsky on Sunday is expected to bring an end to feuding over who is the rightful heir and to boost a campaign to transform this republic buffeted by wars and unrest in recent years into a constitutional monarchy. Despite having spent his entire life in Spain and not speaking Georgian, David settled in Tbilisi in 2003 and obtained dual citizenship. His bride-to-be, Anna Bagrationi-Gruzinsky, is the daughter of Nugzar Bagrationi-Gruzinsky, a Tbilisi theatre director. Spanish-born David, 32, and Anna, 31, have kept a low-profile ahead of the ceremony, refusing to grant interviews.
Still, even Georgia's most ardent monarchists admit it's unlikely the country will have a king or queen soon after Sunday's ceremony.
"This marriage will eliminate any eventual doubts concerning the existence of a legitimate heir to the Georgian throne," said Marika Lortkipanidze, a historian with Georgia's National Academy of Sciences.
Critics say too much power is concentrated in the hands of the presidency and that the system needs more checks and balances.
More than 3,000 guests, including President Mikheil Saakashvili and representatives of Europe's aristocratic families, are expected at the ceremony in Tbilisi's Trinity Cathedral.
But many Georgians are nonetheless captivated. The Georgians must look forward to the future instead of the past. This is a historic event of Georgia to redefine its troubled history in the modern world. This is just a legend talk about a monarchy in the past to 21st century Georgia.
Georgians are largely disappointed with the presidential republic. This is why the idea of a constitutional monarchy emerged and has gained significant support within society.
Claiming descent from the biblical King David, the Bagrationi dynasty ruled a large chunk of present-day Georgia from at least the 9th century until the country was absorbed into the Russian Empire in the early 19th century.
A noble family in Tsarist Russia, many of the Bagrationis were scattered across Europe after the Bolshevik Revolution and the Soviet takeover of Georgia in 1921 following a brief period of independence. Many of those who stayed were killed or thrown into Soviet concentration camps.
Various branches of the family have laid claim to the ancient Georgian throne, with the Mukhraneli and Gruzinsky branches considered the most likely contenders.
David Bagrationi-Mukhraneli is the son of Jorge de Bagration y de Mukhrani, a prominent racing driver whose branch of the family settled in Spain after World War II. A cousin of Spain's King Juan Carlos, the father died in 2008 after settling in Tbilisi.
The two houses have long feuded over their claims to the throne and historians say any children from the marriage would resolve the dispute.
The influential patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Ilia II, has promoted the restoration of the monarchy and a recent phone-in survey on Georgian Public Television showed more than 40 percent of callers supporting the idea.
Georgian political analyst Tornike Sharashenidze said that many Georgians are frustrated with the presidential system adopted after the country gained independence with the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.
Akaki Asatiani, the leader of Georgia's small Monarchist Party, said many Georgians are resistant to the idea of a constitutional monarchy and do not understand how it would work.
"The 200-year gap in the royal tradition is an issue and most Georgians lack understanding of the constitutional monarchy system," he said. "But sooner or later people will realise that this constitutional model is a guarantee for democracy and stability."
The wedding of Prince David Bagrationi-Mukhraneli and Princess Anna Bagrationi-Gruzinsky on Sunday is expected to bring an end to feuding over who is the rightful heir and to boost a campaign to transform this republic buffeted by wars and unrest in recent years into a constitutional monarchy. Despite having spent his entire life in Spain and not speaking Georgian, David settled in Tbilisi in 2003 and obtained dual citizenship. His bride-to-be, Anna Bagrationi-Gruzinsky, is the daughter of Nugzar Bagrationi-Gruzinsky, a Tbilisi theatre director. Spanish-born David, 32, and Anna, 31, have kept a low-profile ahead of the ceremony, refusing to grant interviews.
Still, even Georgia's most ardent monarchists admit it's unlikely the country will have a king or queen soon after Sunday's ceremony.
"This marriage will eliminate any eventual doubts concerning the existence of a legitimate heir to the Georgian throne," said Marika Lortkipanidze, a historian with Georgia's National Academy of Sciences.
Critics say too much power is concentrated in the hands of the presidency and that the system needs more checks and balances.
More than 3,000 guests, including President Mikheil Saakashvili and representatives of Europe's aristocratic families, are expected at the ceremony in Tbilisi's Trinity Cathedral.
But many Georgians are nonetheless captivated. The Georgians must look forward to the future instead of the past. This is a historic event of Georgia to redefine its troubled history in the modern world. This is just a legend talk about a monarchy in the past to 21st century Georgia.
Georgians are largely disappointed with the presidential republic. This is why the idea of a constitutional monarchy emerged and has gained significant support within society.
Claiming descent from the biblical King David, the Bagrationi dynasty ruled a large chunk of present-day Georgia from at least the 9th century until the country was absorbed into the Russian Empire in the early 19th century.
A noble family in Tsarist Russia, many of the Bagrationis were scattered across Europe after the Bolshevik Revolution and the Soviet takeover of Georgia in 1921 following a brief period of independence. Many of those who stayed were killed or thrown into Soviet concentration camps.
Various branches of the family have laid claim to the ancient Georgian throne, with the Mukhraneli and Gruzinsky branches considered the most likely contenders.
David Bagrationi-Mukhraneli is the son of Jorge de Bagration y de Mukhrani, a prominent racing driver whose branch of the family settled in Spain after World War II. A cousin of Spain's King Juan Carlos, the father died in 2008 after settling in Tbilisi.
The two houses have long feuded over their claims to the throne and historians say any children from the marriage would resolve the dispute.
The influential patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Ilia II, has promoted the restoration of the monarchy and a recent phone-in survey on Georgian Public Television showed more than 40 percent of callers supporting the idea.
Georgian political analyst Tornike Sharashenidze said that many Georgians are frustrated with the presidential system adopted after the country gained independence with the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.
Akaki Asatiani, the leader of Georgia's small Monarchist Party, said many Georgians are resistant to the idea of a constitutional monarchy and do not understand how it would work.
"The 200-year gap in the royal tradition is an issue and most Georgians lack understanding of the constitutional monarchy system," he said. "But sooner or later people will realise that this constitutional model is a guarantee for democracy and stability."
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Deadliest-ever Australian wildfires
Towering flames razed entire towns in southeastern Australia and burned fleeing residents in their cars as the death toll rose to 84 on Sunday, making it the country's deadliest fire disaster.
At least 700 homes were destroyed in Saturday's wild fire when searing temperatures and wind blasts produced a firestorm that swept across a swath of the country's Victoria state, where all the deaths occurred.
Thousands of exhausted volunteer firefighters were still battling about 30 uncontrolled fires Sunday night in Victoria, though conditions had eased considerably. It would be days before they were brought under control, even if temperatures stayed down, they said.
Government officials said the army would be deployed to help out, and Rudd announced immediate emergency aid of 10 million Australian dollars ($7 million).
The tragedy echoed across Australia. Leaders in other states — most of which have been struck by their own fire disasters in the past — pledged to send money and volunteer firefighters. Funds for public donations opened Sunday quickly started swelling.
The scene was utter devastation Sunday in at least two regions — the town of Marysville and several hamlets in the Kinglake district, both about 50 miles (100 kilometers) north of the state capital Melbourne.
In Kinglake, just five houses out of about 40 remained standing, an Associated Press news crew who overflew the region observed. Street after street was lined by smoldering wrecks of homes; roofs collapsed inward, iron roof sheets twisted from the heat. The burned-out hulks of cars dotted roads. Here and there, fire crews filled their trucks from ponds and sprayed down spot fires. There were no other signs of life.
Australia's previous worst fires were in 1983, when blazes killed 75 people and razed more than 3,000 homes in Victoria and South Australia state. Seventy-one died and 650 buildings were destroyed in 1939.
Police said charred bodies had been found in cars in at least two places — suggesting people were engulfed in flames as they tried to flee.
At least 80 people were hospitalized with burns. Dr. John Coleridge of Alfred Hospital, one of the largest in the fire zone, said injuries ranged from scorches on the feet of people who fled across burning ground to life-threatening burns. At least three would probably die, he said.
Temperatures in the area dropped to about 77 F (25 C) on Sunday, but along with cooler conditions came wind changes that officials said could push fires in unpredictable directions.
Dozens of fires were also burning in New South Wales state, where temperatures remained high for the third consecutive day. Properties were not under immediate threat.
Wildfires are common during the Australian summer. Government research shows about half of the roughly 60,000 fires each year are deliberately lit or suspicious. Lightning and people using machinery near dry brush are other causes.
At least 700 homes were destroyed in Saturday's wild fire when searing temperatures and wind blasts produced a firestorm that swept across a swath of the country's Victoria state, where all the deaths occurred.
Thousands of exhausted volunteer firefighters were still battling about 30 uncontrolled fires Sunday night in Victoria, though conditions had eased considerably. It would be days before they were brought under control, even if temperatures stayed down, they said.
Government officials said the army would be deployed to help out, and Rudd announced immediate emergency aid of 10 million Australian dollars ($7 million).
The tragedy echoed across Australia. Leaders in other states — most of which have been struck by their own fire disasters in the past — pledged to send money and volunteer firefighters. Funds for public donations opened Sunday quickly started swelling.
The scene was utter devastation Sunday in at least two regions — the town of Marysville and several hamlets in the Kinglake district, both about 50 miles (100 kilometers) north of the state capital Melbourne.
In Kinglake, just five houses out of about 40 remained standing, an Associated Press news crew who overflew the region observed. Street after street was lined by smoldering wrecks of homes; roofs collapsed inward, iron roof sheets twisted from the heat. The burned-out hulks of cars dotted roads. Here and there, fire crews filled their trucks from ponds and sprayed down spot fires. There were no other signs of life.
Australia's previous worst fires were in 1983, when blazes killed 75 people and razed more than 3,000 homes in Victoria and South Australia state. Seventy-one died and 650 buildings were destroyed in 1939.
Police said charred bodies had been found in cars in at least two places — suggesting people were engulfed in flames as they tried to flee.
At least 80 people were hospitalized with burns. Dr. John Coleridge of Alfred Hospital, one of the largest in the fire zone, said injuries ranged from scorches on the feet of people who fled across burning ground to life-threatening burns. At least three would probably die, he said.
Temperatures in the area dropped to about 77 F (25 C) on Sunday, but along with cooler conditions came wind changes that officials said could push fires in unpredictable directions.
Dozens of fires were also burning in New South Wales state, where temperatures remained high for the third consecutive day. Properties were not under immediate threat.
Wildfires are common during the Australian summer. Government research shows about half of the roughly 60,000 fires each year are deliberately lit or suspicious. Lightning and people using machinery near dry brush are other causes.
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