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Dogs.You see, dogs are NOT little people in furry coats. They don’t understand concepts such as “right” or “wrong”; these are human constructs. (Quite a few PEOPLE don’t understand them either, apparently.)Dogs understand one concept: Dichotomy. (Okay, they ALSO understand loyalty, trust, and devotion. But those were a bit much to shove into this narrative…)Dominance. or submission. ONE of the two of you is the boss.Of course, a lot of people think dominance is the same as yelling, screaming, hitting, etc. When your boss walks into a room to start a meeting, is screaming a prerequisite?Does he or she have to hit people with paper to be the leader? (ok, I have had a few that behaved EXACTLY like this…)On the whole, a successful leader is dominant simply by their presence.Even people can sense this; most of you have probably met or been around someone who naturally gave you the impression that they were the one who called the shots.Dogs sense this as well; one can NOT fake it.Bluster, puffery, braggadocio, yelling, hitting etc. None of these make you the boss.You either ARE, or you ARE NOT. (when I see someone walking a dog and they are being pulled all over the street I know EXACTLY who is calling the shots…)Now, by beating the mutt sensless you can sometimes get them to do something, but have you ever notices how people that yell and scream and hit KEEP yelling and screaming and hitting? If you come back three months later the behavior will be the same- nothing will have changed.And it’s because fear and respect are NOT synonymous words. A dog will want to please you out of respect; they will simply want to avoid your bad mood out of fear.(This picture makes me SERIOUSLY question whether I am more intelligent than him…meet Kronk, the four-footed leader of the pack.)And, since they are NOT little people, they may or may not know what sets you off.So they live a miserable existence, trying to figure out what to do to make you be their friend and to stay away from the yelling zone.It makes me want to scream when I see some video where the owner is trying to ascertain ‘guilt’ by a dog’s body language (“Now, Toby, Bryce, which one of you was the bad doggie that ate mommy’s battery-powered toy??”) and of course, both dogs will hunker down.You get the EXACT same reaction if you come in and ask “Toby, Bryce, which one of you just gave up the nuclear launch codes to Canada?”And this is ALWAYS the fault of the ‘master’.Trust me, I spend FAR more time in ‘Obedience’ Training with the owner than I ever do with the dogs.People are stunned when I can have a dog heeling in a few minutes, or holding still, or letting me cut their nails.But it’s because I ASK them, not yell orders. (admittedly, when I ASK I am fully EXPECTING the request to be honored).I am the boss. It’s not just posturing, or running my mouth.(Introducing Teddy (“I AM the Law!”) Bear…this was posture training.)I really really am.I will step between my dogs and a strange dog if aggression starts (protect the pack).I will pick up a dog that can’t walk.I will NOT yell if someone pees on the carpet accidentally (look for Urinary infections).And I WILL pull the plug (and spend our last few moments together holding paws) if the pain gets to be too much.In short, my dogs LIKE me and want to spend time with me. (Of course, when Princess Kimmie walks in I am abandoned and considered of no importance. Not the momma.)Some are a little tougher than others (and some are downright psychotic) but as a general rule, I can change a dog’s personality in a minute or two.The owners, well, they take substantially longer…And some of them could benefit from a little neutering…EDIT: I got asked exactly how does one establish “dominance”. Kinda tough to say; the word is really loaded with bad connotations. Perhaps “Pack Leader” is better? In any case, these are some of my ideas for becoming an effective leader for Fido, and probably is not a bad template for children in general. Doesn’t work for shit for cats…Bravo for getting him neutered! Lots of opinions on whether this is good (answers are: it depends) but I think a good place to start would be to watch Caesar Milans Dog Whisperer and anything you can get your hands on from Victoria Stilwell. This will approach your training from two unique viewpoints, and let you craft your program to your own tastes.(“Hey dad! You up yet? ARE YOU UP?!? WAKEY WAKEY, EGGS AND BAKEY!!”)Now, you will need to be patient-you and doggo are NOT speaking the same language yet, so miscommunication is bound to occur.But a good pattern to (patiently!) follow is this:WEAR THEIR ASSES OUT! This means EVERY Day! If that tongue is dragging the ground the amount of sass that you will receive will be minimized. This can be accomplished by structured walks (2 minutes on leash acting like a loon, 20 minutes heeling and walking at proper spacing, 2 minutes at end of walk to sniff)Give them a job to do. We put backpacks on and make them wear them for a walk. In fact, we add dried beans (up to 10% of body weight) to increase the workload. I am serious, you will not believe how PROUD they are to have a purpose.Train, Train, Train. Have one or two things that you work on at a time. We use popcorn for treats, as they can eat a bunch without overeating. Some dogs are corn allergic, so keep eyes open. Make sure to do things in tiny tiny steps, and reward along the way. Make this FUN!Punish-well, not really. I will cuff a dog (no more than Mommie dog will do) to catch their attention, but under no circumstances will I strike or cause pain. I want the dog to trust me, and hitting it is kinda the antithesis of this. Basically, I will correct bad behavior with a light tug on a choke collar (these can be REALLY useful, but you HAVE to learn how to use them-THEY ARE NOT STRANGLE COLLARS. We use a “pinch” style collar; its sole purpose is to catch attention. Lots of really smart people refuse to use them, so it’s up to you. Not a believer in prong collars, but opinions on this are mixed as well. No newspapers, water guns, or loud noises that hurt ears. These all suck. And don’t get me started on shock collars-I use them, but we gut the electronics so all they can do is beep. I use this for long-distance training, but it’s an alert device only.Affection. Everything follows rules, so I don’t let anyone jump up on me or guests, When a dog comes over to me with a toy to play, however, there is simply nothing more important in my day than to drop what I am doing!Pay Attention! Watch for behavior changes-sudden peeing on the carpet, slow to get up, reluctance to eat, etc. We don’t ever “Wait and See”. Our vet had made Mercedes payments I am sure, but I don't care. It is MY responsibility as leader of the pack to make whatever necessary sacrifices that I have to make to keep my group healthy.Patience.Patience.Patience.Patience.Patience. Did I mention Patience? Each dog is different and will learn different things at different rates. Pay attention.Consistency. If something is a No-no, then it always needs to be a no-no. Don’t let them do something one time, and then change the rules on them the next. This will drive them into depression. We had a “No Dogs in the Living Room” rule. When Thumper broke it (and wouldn’t go back to the kitchen) it was my first clue that something was really really wrong. In this case, we rushed her to the vet. level four heart murmur; start digging. She was telling me that something was wrong; thank god I listened.Be the Leader. THis means ALWAYS, and includes the extremely bad as well as the good. Especially when FIdo has come to the end of his life, and needs you to make the soul-crushing decision to end the pain. Stay in the room with them; don’t let the last thing that they see is you walking away. Make SURE that the trust and devotion that they have given you are rewarded by you staying with them to the (very) bitter end.(“NEW FLASH! SAVAGE Rock-waller terrifies residents while visiting at local nursing home-Here’s why YOU should be frightened…film at 11”)In summary, being Dominant is more about doing the right things with consistent behaviors than about badgering and underling to submit to your whims.When Fido trusts you to be not just a friend but a competent leader you will be astounded at how life turns out.This is an attitude as much as a set of pre-programmed moves, but the reward for patiently striving for excellence is beyond description.And for those of you that have asked, my wife and I are starting the North Carolina Rotweiller Rescue. (But if something shows up on my doorstep looking like it needs a meal then I am going to take it in, whether it is a dog, cat, opossum, or a fruit bat).We are both getting our Wildlife Rehabilitation certifications, and want to be a branch of the Guardians of Rescue, with emphasis on helping find abandoned animals during hurricanes and what-not.We currently have a 15-acre farm that we just got; my plan is to put tiny homes on it to house people and their pets during natural disasters.More to come I am sure!EDIT:I Never Imagined Anything Could Hurt This Badly.When I was growing up, I was told two HUGE whoppers by my dad... he had the best of intentions, mind you, but these were just plain wrong.I have found smaller ones, for example, it turns out that ‘honesty’ (like a few other virtues that come to mind) is sometimes vastly overrated. Orthat ‘there’s good in everybody’.”That one has turned out to be a big disappointment (and dead wrong) as well.But these two are the biggest. The first: There was no such thing as monsters.I haven’t figured out whether he was lying to me, or just wrong.I have been dealing with a particularly savage monster for a while now. His name is “Osteosarcoma” a bone cancer-unbelievably aggressive and QUICK), and he has picked our friend Kronk out as his victim.Kim and I have been fighting it tooth and nail for over three months, but each day we get a little weaker and the bad guy gets a little stronger.We knew we were going to lose in the end, of course-but that in no way changes one’s obligation to crawl into the ring and deal out as serious a beating as you can manage-until you just simply can’t.The bell rings and the final round ends.We did manage to forcibly take some additional time-by breaking a few heads and going some places we don’t normally go. We snaked some compounds that gave the cancer a severe setback-fighting the various government agencies that didn’t want us to have it for some reason.But we could only hit the “snooze” button a certain number of times before we are faced with the inevitable; the birth certificate is a two-part form. And, sooner or later, the second page is going to come into play.There is always something uniquely horrible about looking into a friend’s eyes and knowing that they are in pain.That they don’t understand why you can’t do anything about their hurting, or even why it occurred in the first place.Why, as leader of the pack, you promised to protect them against all that would do them harm and are failing so miserably.And yet, even as you flail and rail and scream into the night, they forgive you; they are concerned about the howl of misery that you are fighting to keep from leaping from your lips and slashing at the very sky.And why your promise includes yourself as one of the ones that you will protect them against.No matter how hard you rail, no matter how loudly you scream, there comes a point where you are hurting them to hold off your pain as long as you possibly can.The second lie was this: that time heals all wounds.No, it doesn’t.The best you can hope for is that you’ll learn to live with the gash in your soul, and maybe avoid tearing it open too often.But, the hole that has been torn in your very being never truly goes away.Like a mirror that shatters in front of your eyes-you can still make out the image, but the picture will never ever be whole again.All you’ll ever be able to do is catch glimpses out of the corner of your eye of the crystalline multi-colored fragments of endless shattered dreams.Dreams of playing ball.Dreams of barking at leaves, at chasing motes of dust in a sunbeam.Dreams of long walks by the lake, sniffing and sniffing and sniffing.Andgrinning. God, how I am going to miss that grin.Andyou wonder how this can happen to someone that has never ever hurt anyone in his life.I have had a rougher life than plenty of people; was on the road for a great part of my college life (went weeks at a time without seeing the sun) and have seen some things that will truly make one question whether there can possibly be a God that watches over us.Of course, that pretty much proves the point, for without some sort of caretaker this race would have been doomed a long, long time ago-taken to ground by the first woodchuck that we happened across.But why does Kronk have to go, when so many undeserving manufacturers of misery seem to thrive?Butif it hadn’t been for one of those trogs, I never would have met Kronk in the first place-perhaps there is a plan after all.If I were running things, we (dogs, cats, people) wouldn’t have different life spans—with reference to Ernie Stewart, we would live ripe old ages and pass side-by-side a few hours apart in warm safe beds surrounded by friends and loved ones.Andhow can one ever survive losing a parent-or worse-losing your child? Bill Steffens said it to me best:“Kids kind of expect to outlive their parents. Parents never expect to bury their child.”If you wife dies, you are a widower.If your husband dies, you are a widow.If your parents die, you are an orphan.But when your pet and best friend dies…there’s not even a word for it. That’s how truly awful it is.If I am going through this after only knowing a non-vocalizing furry pain-in-the-rump (sometimes) for a few years, how can anyone ever keep going?I would giveanything to keep that question rhetorical….One of the things that we were proudest of in Kronk was how many other mutts he helped rehabilitate; our goal was to have him spend out his days going to the old-folks and retirement homes to cheer those guys up a little.With that loopy grin and his doofy head shake, everyone who ever met him instinctively trusted him.Except with salmon-don’t trust him with salmon. He weighed that cost-benefit and elected to go for the goal.I am trying to focus on the good that he has accomplished-at the joy that he brought into our and countless other lives.He didn’t just sit in a back yard somewhere; he served as an ambassador to help increase the awareness that, like people, your appearance doesn’t dictate who you are.And, he converted quite a few people that would have otherwise not known how much fun he could be, or how happy a big slobbery mutt can make you.The older folks didn’t seem to be terribly amazed that he was friendly—they just seemed to be happy that he was paying attention to them without any reason other than he liked them. Going to miss that as well!Just left the vet after looking at an x-ray that appears tobe a time-lapse of mushrooms growing; the lungs aren’t even recognizable anymore.Of course, this isn’t a judgment call-I guess I can thank God for that small mercy. Very small, in fact.I think about the nights getting up to take him out at 3 a.m., the picking of his 100-lb carcass out of bed every morning (he was sleeping with Kim—I got the sofa) and placing him back in bed every night. The specialty food, the running home at lunch to give him pain meds.Having to watch him on the sofa; he wanted to go harass and play with the other dogs, but we couldn’t take the risk of him shattering an already fragile leg.The constant travel to get high-pH water, the reading of so many bloody labels to avoid processed sugar that I was ready to scream (it’s in EVERYTHING!).Fighting to get him to go outside to pee (it hurt to walk) and then fighting again to get him to come back to dinner.We would do it again without hesitation!Butas I drive home from the vets(I pulled off the highway to write this before it escaped my mind; typing on this shitty little cell-phone is a punishmentin itself), I am struggling with the fact that we get only one more sunrise.No more ball playing.No more licks or mooching from the table.No more ringing the back door chimes to be let out.No more snoozing in a comfy sunbeam.No more snoring at the foot of the bed.No more enthusiastic greetings when I get home.No more nuzzling my arm when he wants to be petted.And I guess now I realize that Dad lied to me one more time:“Big boys don’t cry.”I can hardly see the road.

Dan Brown’s book is worth studying in order to understand how commercial fiction is constructed and how the US legal profession treats cases of structural plagiarism.Jack Dunn’s The Vatican Boys lost its copyright infringement case against Dan Brown’s DaVinci Code, but he hasn’t given up.Judge Michael Ponsor threw out Dunn’s claim in 2007, saying: “No prior case recognizing a theory of copyright infringement based on the sort of thematic or structural similarity posited by the plaintiff has been offered in his memorandum opposing summary judgment, nor has the court found one.”Dunn will try his case in the British courts next.Dunn said, “The claim in London is over the sequences of incidents in the respective novels which was not properly done in the United States because the judge disregarded what we gave him.”Dan Brown faces possible new plagiarism lawsuit over ‘The Da Vinci Code’Strangely enough, Judge Ponsor is now a bestselling crime novelist. Did they give him a publishing deal in exchange for a ruling? Maybe not, but any judge who has ambitions to become a novelist shouldn’t be ruling on a case involving publishers. That is a conflict of interest.Jack Dunn’s case is important because authors these days are under the impression that copying other people’s novels is okay as long as they change enough, but enough is badly defined. I think that we can create a quantitative metric based on how human memory functions and based on the idea that if you needed to have the book at your elbow as you write, you did something wrong.To prevent my analysis of the similarities between Brown and Dunn’s novels from getting noisy, I wrote down the page numbers on which information is introduced to the reader for the first time in each book. Because Brown is writing for a commercial audience, he re-introduces information over and over, in a sort of echo that reminds the reader about what they need to worry about. Dunn was more to the point.Sometimes an event that occurred on one page in Brown’s book occured on two different pages in Dunn’s book. In those instances, I recorded two page numbers.An Italian man is murdered because of something he knew about the Catholic church. (Brown p. 15) (Dunn p. 1)A ruthless, well-trained mercenary is hired by the Catholic church to find a secret relic. (Brown p. 14) (Dunn p. 7)Thigh wounds from a cliche (an unusual torture device) are described. They represent the abusive, mental conditioning methods of the cult. (Brown p. 23) (Dunn p. 11)The mercenary is sent to search for the relic in a specific church in a foreign land. (Brown p. 24) (Dunn p. 52)We get a lengthy introduction to the perspective/lifestyle of the central character. (Catherine/Langdon) (Brown p. 27-44) (Dunn p. 9-42)We return to the mercenary’s perspective and begin to understand how the Opus Dei functions as a very wealthy and powerful cult that makes its members crazy. (Brown p. 45-50) (Dunn p. 43-46)We are introduced to a safe place of worship and a nun who is not in the thrall of the Opus Dei. (Brown p. 62-64) (Dunn p. 42, 67)We get an info dump about the history of the Opus Dei (Brown p. 63) (Dunn p. 75)We learn that the female lead is competent and knowledgeable about codes, the Opus Dei murderer, and the dangers posed to the protagonist. (Brown p. 76) (Dunn p. 76)We learn that the protagonist is being framed for a crime committed by others – a crime the protagonist was trying to avert/solve. (Brown p. 95) (Dunn p. 76)The female lead is disgusted with a man she had once idolized after seeing him engaging in something immoral. (Brown p. 106) (Dunn p. 77, 80)The mercenary reaches the church where information about the relic is located. (Brown p. 125) (Dunn p. 63)The mercenary discovers that the relic is not where he expected it to be. He has been tricked. (Brown p. 176) (Dunn p. 65)The female lead is haunted by the immorality she observed from the religious older man she respected. (Brown p. 196) (Dunn p. 77)The protagonist is on the run and in search of a treasure that only she can find because she knows where to find the codes. (Brown p. 200) (Dunn p. 78)The priest who hired the mercenary is upset that he still doesn’t have the treasure. (Brown p. 205) (Dunn p. 81)We learn that the treasure is hidden in a bank that deals with the church and the protagonist knows how to get to it. (Brown p. 231) (Dunn p. 77, 81)The protagonist learns that the people who want the treasure also want the sacred relic. (Brown p. 231) (Dunn p. 92)Through the eyes of the mercenary and/or his controller we learn that whoever controls the relic will control the Catholic church. (Brown p. 235) (Dunn p. 96)We learn that large sums of money were distributed from the Vatican Bank to the Opus Dei in order to secure the relic. The man given the money is using murder and torture to attain the goal. (Brown p. 234) (Dunn p. 98)The protagonist has the code to unlock a bank account that leads to the treasure sought by the Opus Dei. (Brown p. 252) (Dunn p. 105)We learn precisely why widespread knowledge of the treasure would upend Catholic teachings and power. (Brown p. 306-356) (Dunn p. 160)We learn how oppressive the Opus Dei has been of women. (Brown p. 306-365) (Dunn p. 98)A man pursuing the protagonist is taken hostage and given to a brotherhood that is protecting the relic sought by the Catholic church. (Brown p. 369) (Dunn p. 82, 104)A chapter describes how the people chasing the protagonist are always one step behind. (Brown p. 392) (Dunn p. 108)The protagonist and an expert in sacred relics travel from Paris to London via private jet while carrying a sacred relic that can only be made known to the world through access to an encoded treasure. (Brown p. 394) (Dunn p. 151)The protagonist makes progress in tracking down the code that will unlock the treasure they seek. The woman knows the first set of codes and the password for the second layer of decryption is rather simple and deciphered by the man. (Brown p. 403) (Dunn p. 165)The head of the Opus Dei who is pursuing the protagonist and who had hired the mercenary flies/flew to London from Rome on a private jet in an attempt to catch the protagonist and secure the relic. (Brown p. 413) (Dunn p. 190)There is a confrontation betweeen the protagonist and the mercenary who was sent to collect the relic. A substantial sum of money is also at play. (Brown p. 472) (Dunn p. 177)They are searching for a clue to unlock the treasure when the mercenary’s employer sneaks up on them. (Brown p. 472) (Dunn p. 185)The mercenary employed by the Opus Dei priest has been poisoned. (Brown p. 503) (Dunn p. 177)The protagonist’s most trusted assistant had betrayed them all in favor of his personal agenda. (Brown p. 530) (Dunn p. 215)The Opus Dei’s hopes of taking over the Catholic church by using the holy relic are dashed because of the criminal actions of the priest and his mercenary. (Brown p. 544) (Dunn p. 208)The mercenary finds God’s love and is saved, no longer intent on murder and vengeance. (Brown p. 556) (Dunn p. 182)The betrayer ends up in the hands of the police. (Brown p. 555) (Dunn p. 216)The female protagonist discovers that the secret code to a treasure is in a place she had loved as a child. (Brown p. 574) (Dunn p. 121)The female protagonist returns to a maternal figure. (Brown p. 574) (Dunn p. 216)This type of plagiarism is similar to what I have observed in the five books that used mine as a template: A Post About a Rather Serious Problem… and I do analysis of control variables for all of these books, but I’ll keep what follows less technical.People liked Brown’s book not just because of the meaningful ending that revealed the story as an allegory about the pursuit of knowledge and love. They liked it because they felt like they were learning something about religious symbols. I was fascinated to learn that Venus traces out the shape of a star relative to the ecliptic every eight years and I also enjoyed the few pages Brown wrote about PHI.In constast, I liked Dunn’s book because of the plot and because I felt like I learned something about how banking criminals operated. Nevertheless, after reading both books, it is clear to me that Brown borrowed heavily from Dunn and lied about it. He used Dunn’s story as a template or road map and the lying is where he crossed a line, in my estimation. Then again, maybe his publisher wouldn’t allow him to tell the truth. I’ve heard that they can be bullies.The first key to understanding an author’s writing or copying style is to create a list of character substitutions, conflating or doubling up characters depending on whether you are compressing or expanding a story. For example:Whereas Brown created an Indiana Jones/Femme Fatale character duo to act as the focus or protagonist of the story, Dunn made a single person, Christine, the focus.Whereas Brown made Remy and the Albino into mercenaries, Dunn used a single mercenary named Jeremy.The second key is to identify the style of copying. Brown alternates betweenchapters that drive the story forwards,chapters that give a glimpse of the mercenary sitting around and being creepy,chapters about stupid police who are always one step behind,chapters that detail Langdon’s tourist guidebook-like experiences in hotels or in tourist destinations,chapters that remind me of Indiana Jones and the search for the Holy Grail.I find that if I delete the parts that don’t drive Brown’s story forward, what remains comes straight from Dunn’s book. I’m left with the impression that Dunn created the bones of this story — maybe even drawing from some real life experiences of people investigating an incident of church banking fraud in the 1980s.Conversely, if I wanted to automate the conversion of Dan Brown’s book into Dunn’s book and I had access to a trove of mythemes or scenes indexed according to content, I take the bones of Brown’s book and then do a little substitution trick, copying and pasting appropriate scenes from an out-of-print book into the same location in which they occured in Brown’s book — making substitutions for names and places. For example,The Holy Grail becomes the holy shroud,crime bosses and cops become priests and masons,Chicago becomes Rome,a mafia assassin becomes a Vatican mercenary.With such tools, I could write a book in the blink of an eye. Depending on the quality of my database and the quality of my outline, I might be able to write a bestseller with such a tool.Perhaps that is the true Da Vinci Code.Then again, to many people, this line of thought will look like a conspiracy theory.In general, we need a quantitative metric for diagnosing sequences of unique concepts, but it needs to be specific enough that it doesn’t flag Harry Potter as being too similar to a book about the Holy Grail and the Knights Templar. As in all things, the devil is in the details and, whereas an analysis of thematic similarity should be allowed in flagging similar works, we also need an analysis of unusually specific plot overlaps to corroborate it. For example, when Matt Haig discussed toxoplasmosis and being married to someone in another life, this made an unusually specific overlap with my book that coupled to the sequence of 55 structural/thematic similarities to make it clear he had used my book as a detailed template. If Dan Brown had showed his female protagonist removing the eye of a statue in order to find a clue to solve the mystery of the lost treasure, he would have created an unusually specific overlap that coupled with a lengthy sequence of structural/thematic overlaps to reveal that he used Dunn’s 35 point plot sequence without attributing it. If he had attributed it and paid for the right to use it, he wouldn’t have been accused of criminality. After all, you can’t just take property you don’t own and then use it to make 150 million dollars — unless someone with power decides that is how they want things to be.If only things were so simple. Dunn wasn’t the only author who sued Brown for plagiarism. There was a non-fiction book that objected to how much research Brown drew from their work.The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail by Biagent and LeighThere is a stretch of about 100 pages (250-360) in the middle of Brown’s novel that bears no resemblance to Dunn’s book and that does seem to be taken from wildly speculative non-fiction sources that claim Jesus had royal blood and he was married to Mary Magdalene, a woman of royal blood who bore her a child whose bloodline entered the French monarchy, thereby connecting all of the modern monarchies to Jesus by way of genetics.In a sense, Dunn’s plot forms the bread of a Mary Magdalene sandwich that has been seasoned with some Indiana Jones mayo and travel guidebook mustard.If the information in Brown’s 100 page Mary Magdalene segment is presented in the same, sequential order in both books, I can see why the non-fiction authors objected, but I agree with the judges’ assessment that one cannot copyright a set of facts. A sequence of facts, however, I believe is copyrightable if it is long enough and if the elements are unique enough.. There is no reason for an author to present a lengthy sequence of unique details in exactly the same order as another author, other than lazy copying. In any case, I ordered the book and will report back later about what I find.Another argument against the non-fiction authors was that there is little reason to suspect that Brown’s book negatively impacted their ability to profit… unless you think about things in a long-term context. If the non-fiction authors wished to publish a German translation of their work today, no one would buy it because they have already seen the surprising ideas presented by the more famous work of Dan Brown. That doesn’t seem fair.Perhaps if the ideas are presented in the same sequential order within a fictional work, they are copyrightable, but not if they are presented as non-fiction. Here again, we find an author who claims credit for being the first to present the ideas about women’s history in the church in a form from from which Dan Brown’s book drew far too much.Daughter of God by Lewis PerdueThis novel was written in 2000 and Brown’s publisher pre-emptively filed a court case insisting that the author of the earlier work retract all complaints and agree that Brown had done nothing wrong. What horrible bullies! Is this a publishing house or a mafia?I just ordered this book and will do the same analysis that I did for Dunn’s book. At a minimum, it should provide a control variable for comparison. We can’t have a copyright law that allows a person to copyright an entire genre: literature about holy relics or Jesus’s wife.*There is a longer form version of this article on my blog

That dogs are NOT little people in furry coats. They don’t understand concepts such as “right” or “wrong”; these are human constructs. (Quite a few PEOPLE don’t understand them either, apparently.)Dogs understand one concept: Dichotomy. (Okay, they ALSO understand loyalty, trust, and devotion. But those were a bit much to shove into this narrative…)Dominance. or submission. ONE of the two of you is the boss. Or “allowed” and “not allowed” if you need words that are slightly less loaded.Of course, a lot of people think dominance is the same as yelling, screaming, hitting, etc. When your boss walks into a room to start a meeting, is screaming a prerequisite?Does he or she have to hit people with paper to be the leader? (ok, I have had a few that behaved EXACTLY like this…)On the whole, a successful leader is dominant simply by their presence.Even people can sense this; most of you have probably met or been around someone who naturally gave you the impression that they were the one who called the shots.Dogs sense this as well; one can NOT fake it.Bluster, puffery, braggadocio, yelling, hitting etc. None of these make you the boss.You either ARE, or you ARE NOT. (when I see someone walking a dog and they are being pulled all over the street I know EXACTLY who is calling the shots…)Now, by beating the mutt senseless you can sometimes get them to do something, but have you ever notices how people that yell and scream and hit will have to KEEP yelling and screaming and hitting until the end of time?If you come back three months later the behavior will be the same- nothing will have changed. (and this is true of child-rearing as well)And it’s because fear and respect are NOT synonymous words. A dog will want to please you out of respect; they will simply want to avoid your bad mood out of fear.(This picture makes me SERIOUSLY question whether I am more intelligent than him…meet Kronk, the four-footed leader of the pack.)And, since they are NOT little people, they may or may not know what sets you off.So they live a miserable existence, trying to figure out what to do to make you be their friend and to stay away from the yelling zone.2nd EDIT: Okay, for the people that insist that “dominance” as I describe means fear, or “alpha-rolling” or “breaking” (as in to break a horse) a dog’s personality: I don’t do any of that garbage. These guys are my friends, and the communication is up to me. Study the way that the German Lippizonor (sp?) Stallions are trained; the level of trust and friendship between them and their handlers is the sort that I am striving to create.It makes me want to scream when I see some video where the owner is trying to ascertain ‘guilt’ by a dog’s body language (“Now, Toby, Bryce, which one of you was the bad doggie that ate mommy’s battery-powered toy??”) and of course, both dogs will hunker down.You get the EXACT same reaction if you come in and ask “Toby, Bryce, which one of you just gave up the nuclear launch codes to Canada?”And this is ALWAYS the fault of the ‘master’.Trust me, I spend FAR more time in ‘Obedience’ Training with the owner than I ever do with the dogs.People are stunned when I can have a dog heeling in a few minutes, or holding still, or letting me cut their nails.But it’s because I ASK them, not yell orders. (admittedly, when I ASK I am fully EXPECTING the request to be honored).I am the boss. It’s not just posturing, or running my mouth.(Introducing Teddy (“I AM the Law!”) Bear…this was posture training.)I really really am.I will step between my dogs and a strange dog if aggression starts (protect the pack).I will pick up a dog that can’t walk.I will NOT yell if someone pees on the carpet accidentally (look for Urinary infections).And I WILL pull the plug (and spend our last few moments together holding paws) if the pain gets to be too much.In short, my dogs LIKE me and want to spend time with me. (Of course, when Princess Kimmie walks in I am abandoned and considered of no importance. Not the momma.)Some are a little tougher than others (and some are downright psychotic) but as a general rule, I can change a dog’s personality in a minute or two.The owners, well, they take substantially longer…And some of them could benefit from a little neutering…EDIT: I got asked exactly how does one establish “dominance”. Kinda tough to say; the word is really loaded with bad connotations. Perhaps “Pack Leader” is better? In any case, these are some of my ideas for becoming an effective leader for Fido, and probably is not a bad template for children in general.Doesn’t work for shit for cats…Bravo for getting him neutered! Lots of opinions on whether this is good (answers are: it depends) but I think a good place to start in dog training would be to watch Caesar Milan's Dog Whisperer and anything you can get your hands on from Victoria Stilwell. This will approach your training from two unique viewpoints, and let you craft your program to your own tastes.(“Hey dad! You up yet? ARE YOU UP?!? WAKEY WAKEY, EGGS AND BAKEY!!”)Now, you will need to be patient-you and doggo are NOT speaking the same language yet, so miscommunication is bound to occur.And remember: You will get FAR better result if you make this FUN for Fido! Make hem/her WANT to go out to yet another fun and treat training session; make it one of the high points of their day.But a good pattern to (patiently!) follow is this:1. WEAR THEIR ASSES OUT! This means EVERY Day! If that tongue is dragging the ground the amount of sass that you will receive will be minimized. This can be accomplished by structured walks (2 minutes on leash acting like a loon, 20 minutes heeling and walking at proper spacing, 2 minutes at end of walk to sniff)2. Give them a job to do. We put backpacks on and make them wear them for a walk. In fact, we add dried beans (up to 10% of body weight) to increase the workload. I am serious, you will not believe how PROUD they are to have a purpose.3. Train, Train, Train. Have one or two things that you work on at a time. We use popcorn for treats, as they can eat a bunch without overeating. Some dogs are corn allergic, so keep eyes open. Make sure to do things in tiny tiny steps, and reward along the way. Make this FUN!4. Punish-well, not really. I will cuff a dog (no more than Mommie dog will do) to catch their attention, but under no circumstances will I strike or cause pain. I want the dog to trust me, and hitting it is kinda the antithesis of this. Basically, I will correct bad behavior with a light tug on a choke collar (these can be REALLY useful, but you HAVE to learn how to use them-THEY ARE NOT STRANGLE COLLARS. We use a “pinch” style collar; its sole purpose is to catch attention. Lots of really smart people refuse to use them, so it’s up to you. Not a believer in prong collars, but opinions on this are mixed as well. No newspapers, water guns, or loud noises that hurt ears. These all suck. And don’t get me started on shock collars-I use them, but we gut the electronics so all they can do is beep. I use this for long-distance training, but it’s an alert device only.5. Affection. Everything follows rules, so I don’t let anyone jump up on me or guests, When a dog comes over to me with a toy to play, however, there is simply nothing more important in my day than to drop what I am doing! Seriously, they are coming over to you to ask you to play with them; this is quite an honor!6. Pay Attention! Watch for behavior changes-sudden peeing on the carpet, slow to get up, reluctance to eat, etc. We don’t ever “Wait and See”. Our vet had made Mercedes payments I am sure, but I don't care. It is MY responsibility as leader of the pack to make whatever necessary sacrifices that I have to make to keep my group healthy.7. Patience.Patience.Patience.Patience.Patience. Did I mention Patience? Each dog is different and will learn different things at different rates. Pay attention.8. Consistency. If something is a No-no, then it always needs to be a no-no. Don’t let them do something one time, and then change the rules on them the next. This will drive them into depression. We had a “No Dogs in the Living Room” rule. When Thumper broke it (and wouldn’t go back to the kitchen) it was my first clue that something was really really wrong. In this case, we rushed her to the vet. level four heart murmur; start digging. She was telling me that something was wrong; thank god I listened.9. Be the Leader. This means ALWAYS, and includes the extremely bad as well as the good. Especially when FIdo has come to the end of his life, and needs you to make the soul-crushing decision to end the pain. Stay in the room with them; don’t let the last thing that they see is you walking away. Make SURE that the trust and devotion that they have given you are rewarded by you staying with them to the (very) bitter end.(“NEW FLASH! SAVAGE Rock-waller terrifies residents while visiting at local nursing home-Here’s why YOU should be frightened…film at 11”)10. Be Aware. Your mood affects your dog; whether they sense it because of posture, body language, or change in body chemistry (that they can smell) is still being debated. Don’t go near Fido in a bad mood, unless it’s to get comfort from them. They will usually jump up to the task of making you feel better. I have lost track of how many times a mutt has jumped into the bed with me when I was sick and brought me their favorite toy to play with. They seemed to hope that it would make me feel better.In summary, being Dominant is more about doing the right things with consistent behaviors than about badgering and underling to submit to your whims.When Fido trusts you to be not just a friend but a competent leader you will be astounded at how life turns out.This is an attitude as much as a set of pre-programmed moves, but the reward for patiently striving for excellence is beyond description.And for those of you that have asked, my wife and I are starting the North Carolina Rotweiller Rescue. (But if something shows up on my doorstep looking like it needs a meal then I am going to take it in, whether it is a dog, cat, opossum, or a fruit bat).We are both getting our Wildlife Rehabilitation certifications, and want to be a branch of the Guardians of Rescue, with emphasis on helping find abandoned animals during hurricanes and what-not.We currently have a 15-acre farm that we just got; my plan is to put tiny homes on it to house people and their pets during natural disasters.More to come I am sure!EDIT: And sometimes, well, things don’t work out very well.I Never Imagined Anything Could Hurt This Badly.When I was growing up, I was told two HUGE whoppers by my dad... he had the best of intentions, mind you, but these were just plain wrong.I have found smaller ones, for example, it turns out that ‘honesty’ (like a few other virtues that come to mind) is sometimes vastly overrated. Or that ‘there’s good in everybody’.”That one has turned out to be a big disappointment (and dead wrong) as well.But these two are the biggest. The first: There was no such thing as monsters.I haven’t figured out whether he was lying to me, or just wrong.I have been dealing with a particularly savage monster for a while now. His name is “Osteosarcoma” a bone cancer-unbelievably aggressive and QUICK), and he has picked our friend Kronk out as his victim.Kim and I have been fighting it tooth and nail for over three months, but each day we get a little weaker and the bad guy gets a little stronger.We knew we were going to lose in the end, of course-but that in no way changes one’s obligation to crawl into the ring and deal out as serious a beating as you can manage-until you just simply can’t.The bell rings and the final round ends.We did manage to forcibly take some additional time-by breaking a few heads and going to some places we don’t normally go. We snaked some compounds that gave cancer a severe setback-fighting the various government agencies that didn’t want us to have it for some reason.But we could only hit the “snooze” button a certain number of times before we are faced with the inevitable; a birth certificate is a two-part form. And, sooner or later, the second page is going to come into play.There is always something uniquely horrible about looking into a friend’s eyes and knowing that they are in pain.That they don’t understand why you can’t do anything about their hurting, or even why it occurred in the first place.Why, as leader of the pack, you promised to protect them against all that would do them harm and are failing so miserably.And yet, even as you flail and rail and scream into the night, they forgive you; they are concerned about the howl of misery that you are fighting to keep from leaping from your lips and slashing at the very sky.And why your promise includes yourself as one of the ones that you will protect them against.No matter how hard you rail, no matter how loudly you scream, there comes a point where you are hurting them to hold off your pain as long as you possibly can.The second lie was this: that time heals all wounds.No, it doesn’t.The best you can hope for is that you’ll learn to live with the gash in your soul, and maybe avoid tearing it open too often.But, the hole that has been torn in your very being never truly goes away.Like a mirror that shatters in front of your eyes-you can still make out the image, but the picture will never ever be whole again.All you’ll ever be able to do is catch glimpses out of the corner of your eye of the crystalline multi-colored fragments of endless shattered dreams.Dreams of playing ball.Dreams of barking at leaves, at chasing motes of dust in a sunbeam.Dreams of long walks by the lake, sniffing and sniffing and sniffing.And grinning. God, how I am going to miss that grin.And you wonder how this can happen to someone that has never ever hurt anyone in his life.I have had a rougher life than plenty of people; was on the road for a great part of my college life (went weeks at a time without seeing the sun) and have seen some things that will truly make one question whether there can possibly be a God that watches over us.Of course, that pretty much proves the point, for without some sort of caretaker this race would have been doomed a long, long time ago-taken to ground by the first woodchuck that we happened across.But why does Kronk have to go, when so many undeserving manufacturers of misery seem to thrive?But if it hadn’t been for one of those trogs, I never would have met Kronk in the first place-perhaps there is a plan after all.If I were running things, we (dogs, cats, people) wouldn’t have different life spans—with reference to Ernie Stewart, we would live ripe old ages and pass side-by-side a few hours apart in warm safe beds surrounded by friends and loved ones.And how can one ever survive losing a parent-or worse-losing your child? Bill Steffens said it to me best:“Kids kind of expect to outlive their parents. Parents never expect to bury their child.”If your wife dies, you are a widower.If your husband dies, you are a widow.If your parents die, you are an orphan.But when your pet and best friend dies…there’s not even a word for it. That’s how truly awful it is.If I am going through this after only knowing a non-vocalizing furry pain-in-the-rump (sometimes) for a few years, how can anyone ever keep going?I would give anything to keep that question rhetorical….One of the things that we were proudest of in Kronk was how many other mutts he helped rehabilitate; our goal was to have him spend out his days going to the old-folks and retirement homes to cheer those guys up a little.With that loopy grin and his doofy head shake, everyone who ever met him instinctively trusted him. Except with salmon-don’t trust him with salmon. He weighed that cost-benefit and elected to go for the goal.I am trying to focus on the good that he has accomplished-at the joy that he brought into our and countless other lives.He didn’t just sit in a back yard somewhere; he served as an ambassador to help increase the awareness that, like people, your appearance doesn’t dictate who you are.And, he converted quite a few people that would have otherwise not known how much fun he could be, or how happy a big slobbery mutt can make you.The older folks didn’t seem to be terribly amazed that he was friendly—they just seemed to be happy that he was paying attention to them without any reason other than he liked them. Going to miss that as well!Just left the vet after looking at an x-ray that appears tobe a time-lapse of mushrooms growing; the lungs aren’t even recognizable anymore.Of course, this isn’t a judgment call-I guess I can thank God for that small mercy. Very small, in fact.I think about the nights getting up to take him out at 3 a.m., the picking of his 100-lb carcass out of bed every morning (he was sleeping with Kim—I got the sofa) and placing him back in bed every night. The specialty food, the running home at lunch to give him pain meds.Having to watch him on the sofa; he wanted to go harass and play with the other dogs, but we couldn’t take the risk of him shattering an already fragile leg.The constant travel to get high-pH water, the reading of so many bloody labels to avoid processed sugar that I was ready to scream (it’s in EVERYTHING!).Fighting to get him to go outside to pee (it hurt to walk) and then fighting again to get him to come back to dinner.We would do it again without hesitation!But as I drive home from the vets(I pulled off the highway to write this before it escaped my mind; typing on this shitty little cell-phone is a punishment in itself), I am struggling with the fact that we get only one more sunrise.No more ball playing.No more licks or mooching from the table.No more ringing the back door chimes to be let out.No more snoozing in a comfy sunbeam.No more snoring at the foot of the bed.No more enthusiastic greetings when I get home.No more nuzzling my arm when he wants to be petted.And I guess now I realize that Dad lied to me one more time:“Big boys don’t cry.”I can hardly see the road.YET ANOTHER EDIT:I have a buddy that has just been hit with something similar. Maybe this will help him not have to go through this.Hi Everyone!As most of you know, I am heavily involved with Rottweiller rescue, and I try really really hard to stay away from the PBS style money begging when a hard-luck case comes by.Heck, even I can't donate to every mutt that I help-I would have been bankrupt a LONG time ago; as such I try to keep my "we need cash" pleas to all of my friends to a bare minimum.(Truthfully, if something shows up on my doorstep looking like it is lonely and needs a meal then it is going t get fed, a bed, and maybe even a kiss as it gets tucked in, whether it is a dog, cat, horse, or a fruit bat)And this is one of those-for anyone that follows him, Ed Heldt is a first responder and has been posting an "Ask Uma" blog for the last year or so.He lost his first love, Frankie about two years ago-and I am unfortunately in the know of how devastating it is to lose one of your four-legged friends.Frankie was a Rottweiller, just like Uma is.When you lose a wife, you become a widower.When you lose a husband, you become a widow.When you lose a parent, you become an orphan.But when you lose your furry companion and soul-mate...there's not even a word for it.It is simply that awful.I need to be blunt; Bone and Lymph cancer in Rottweillers is serious and has a very low survival rate.We are very likely not buying a cure.But we ARE buying more time...and in truth, that is all that a cure (for any of us) really is.Any funds we raise for this are going to buy hopefully a LOT more time.Although he may not see eye to eye with each of you from a political standpoint, I promise that when he is pulling you from a burning car that will not be a topic that he brings up.This man has contributed a ton to his community as a first responder, and if you guys could help take some of this financial heat off of his head I would take it as a personal favor.In fact, he set up "Frankie's Fund, where donations go to help people-like him now- that are strapped and can't afford the vet bills.There are "Compassionate Care loans that can help him through this, but although he has applied this COVID crap has slowed everything done and prevented him from getting a timely consideration.Same deal as always; even $5 helps. If you can help by sharing that would be even better.Last, he could always use a few words on empathy; I am sorry to tell you that I know EXACTLY what he is going through.I am asking everyone to donate directly to the vet (hey, I have been scammed by a sob story; no reason for anyone else to go through it!)The contact info is 315-446-7933. Uma's Patient intake # is 123767. These folks will GLEEFULLY take your money.edman--Ed Heldt15 hrsUma update : I just spoke with Uma's surgeon regarding the results of her X Ray's and the report on the needle aspiration of her mandibular lymph node. The good news is her lung n chest xrays are cancer free. The lymph node biopsy came back showing sum mast cells in her lymph node. Blood work suprisingly normal, which is good news. Surgery to remove this tumor and remove the suspect lymph node. Surgery scheduled for this coming Monday @7am. The bad news is I'm still about $1800 short. I have approx $2100 credit thanks to all of you. I've paid over $1000 to get us to this point. I've applied for a personal loan, waiting for approval. I know I've asked alot but as you know Uma is all I have. If I gotta rob a fuking bank shes having surgery on monday!!! MUAH N PEES OUT😘❤ If u wish to donate u can call the vet with a direct donation their number is 315-446-7933. Tell them u wish to donate to Umas account. Umas patient ID is 123767...ty to everyone who donated. Ty to everyone who pray for us and for your support💯❤❣