February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
By Patrick Markey
If women believe men chasing them make monkeys of themselves, then they should take a glance at the latest survey conducted by Guinness, reports the Examiner newspaper.
Examining the antics of men who are the prowl for a mate, the study found the male’s carefully calculated pulling game closely resembles that of baboons and gorillas.
"The men observed displayed great ingenuity. It was like a type of urban pantomime engaged in by man’s nearest relatives baboons and gorillas," said American psychologist Dr. Aric Sigman, who led the research for Guinness.
"Man or monkey, the behavioral signals all carried the same message: ‘Look at me, trust me, I’m strong and influential, but I won’t hurt you and I don’t want anything much . . . yet.’ "
A study of British males shows that some men are more afraid of marriage than the sight of blood. Three percent of men surveyed said they feared the sound of wedding bells most of all, compared to just one in every 100 women.
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The survey, researched over six months in pubs, found that men who wore wedding rings were more attractive to women on the prowl than men who didn’t. Strangely, the study also found women were drawn to plaster casts.
Mimicking the behavior of a film or television star and persuading a group of female friends to go out for a night also increased success for the predatory male.
Other areas had untapped potential: Snippets of information on the lives of soccer’s showbiz millionaires.
"Football’s moved from spectator sport to a part of popular culture and most men think football’s a turnoff. But chatting about the human-interest aspect of the sport the gossip on Beckham, Ginola, Vialli scored highly with women," according to the doctor.
Life-saving laws
A 2-year-old Munster boy who was seriously injured in an accident, may well owe his life to a nine-year-old law allowing gardai to take temporary custody of children.
The Munster Express reports a Waterford garda sergeant intervened under the 1991 Child Care Act after the boy’s parents refused to allow consent for a blood transfusion because of their religious beliefs.
The boy was taken to Waterford Regional Hospital with crushing chest and leg injures sustained in his own yard after a car spun out of control and knocked over a wall onto him.
Before operating the surgeon required consent for a blood transfusion from the boy’s parents, who refused because they said it would contravene their religious beliefs.
When gardai were called, the sergeant took the boy into care under the act which allows a child to be handed over to the appropriate health authorities if his or her health is deemed to be in danger.
"It was a life-and-death situation," the sergeant said. ”We found ourselves in a fix but the child’s life was paramount."
Trouble with travelers
Much work has been done to help support Ireland’s Traveler people and ease relations with the community where the Traveler groups are based.
But a recent survey shows that discrimination is widespread even though most Irish people have little contact with a Traveler community.
According to Mayo News, a survey conducted by Citizen Traveler, the organization that supports travelers as an ethnic group, reveals that 47 percent of people in Connacht hold negative attitudes toward Travelers. And nationwide, 42 percent are negatively disposed toward Travelers.
The survey reports 50 percent of people in Connacht would not accept Travelers as members of their communities; 98 percent would not accept a Traveler as part of his/her family; 77 percent would not accept a Traveler as a friend, and 45 percent would be annoyed at the possibility of an official halting site being established in their neighborhood.
Despite highlighting a high level of intolerance and discrimination, the survey also reveals that good quality contact between settled and Traveler communities lead to enhanced relationships.
Compared to 10 other groups in Irish society, Travelers were the second least favorable, next to refugees.
The survey also contained some positive results. For instance, more than 80 percent of people agree with government interventions such as funding for job training for Travelers and intercultural education introduced in Irish schools.