They say IV

Have you hugged yourself today? ~Anonymous


A hug is two hearts wrapped in arms. ~Author Unknown


I don't discriminate - I'm an equal-opportunity hugger. ~Author Unknown


Hugging has no unpleasant side effects and is all natural. There are no batteries to replace, it's inflation-proof and non-fattening with no monthly payments. It's non-taxable, non-polluting, and is, of course, fully refundable. ~Author Unknown


Never wait until tomorrow to hug someone you could hug today, because when you give one, you get one right back your way. ~Author Unknown


Sometimes it's better to put love into hugs than to put it into words. ~Author Unknown


A hug is the shortest distance between friends. ~Author Unknown

You chose it !

Thanks to readers collaboration.
Here it goes number 1, music of the 80's.

Cuddle parties

Looking for a good way to innocently interact with others who are not "your one and only partner"?

Have a look...


But wach out, all of them could not be young and pretty!Not even clean!

they say III

A hug is a great gift - one size fits all, and it's easy to exchange. ~Author Unknown


Happiness is an unexpected hug. ~Author Unknown


A kiss without a hug is like a flower without the fragrance. ~Proverb


If you're angry at a loved one, hug that person. And mean it. You may not want to hug - which is all the more reason to do so. It's hard to stay angry when someone shows they love you, and that's precisely what happens when we hug each other. ~Walter Anderson, The Confidence Course, 1997


There's nothing like a mama-hug. ~Terri Guillemets


Hugs grease the wheels of the world. ~Author Unknown


Hug someone your appreciation. ~Violet Gartenlicht


A hug is worth a thousand words. ~Author Unknown

No bear hug is welcome! II

source

Because you don't know anything

Getting maried soon?
You need to see this video before it's too late. Don't do as I did, it seems i've been cuddling the wrong way my whole life!

Brothers in arms vs brothers in arms

Choose your favourite picture

Picture on the right

Rule number 5

Rule #5 Hug Your Family And Loved Ones Often

Just to clear the air, hugging is a great way to show affection and love for your kids, family and dear friends. A hug is a wonderful way to offer support, love, caring and friendship, but it does need to be used with care, especially with people you don't know!

Picture: Photographer Steve Bloom - a big family hug at their home in China's Wolong Nature Reserve

source

Who needs a hug?

Look who needs a little cuddling.

Promise

Hugging the enemy.

Rule number 4

Rule #4 Don't Fake People Out With The Handshake Trick

This one is common and may not be a conscious trick on the part of the hugger, but it seems to be used an awful lot. This starts with the hugger, acting like a handshaker, approaching you with his or her hand out. As soon as you make hand contact, they pull you, often very forcibly, into a hug. Now it may be just my impression, but huggers really seem to delight in this devious little trick. If you are going to hug, at least be woman or man enough to put your arms out so the rest of us have time to duck, dodge or prepare.

They say II

I will not play at tug o' war
I'd rather play at hug o' war,
Where everyone hugs
Instead of tugs....
~Shel Silverstein


A hug is a handshake from the heart. ~Author Unknown


You can't give a hug without getting a hug. ~Author Unknown

A hug delights and warms and charms,
that must be why God gave us arms.
~Author Unknown


Hugs are the universal medicine. ~Author Unknown

Lost embrace by Burman

More about the movie

Rule number 3

Rule #3 The Two Second Rule

In any type of social situation where people are mingling and greeting, it can be very embarrassing to end up with the hugger that is in it for the long haul. If you really must hug, follow a simple two second rule. As soon as your arms wrap around the other person start counting – 1 and 2 –then release and step at least one pace back. Not only does a short but meaningful hug show your affection but it also stops raised eyebrows from other members of the group. In addition the stepping back really helps those of us with personal boundary issues.

Two sides of the same sad story

In this picture Inspector in Carlos Gallone inmortalized embracing and pressing a mother's head against his chest during a manifestation of Madres de Plaza de Mayo in 1982 .
Six year before , he had taken part of Fátima masacre.(continue reading at source)
source
Inthe picture grandson number 101 Francisco Madariaga Quintela son of Silvia Mónica Quintela and Abel Pedro Madariaga, hugged by his grandfather in a reunion after 32 years ignoring his real identity.
source

Broken embraces by Almodovar

Rule number 2

Rule #2 Personal Hygiene

Not to be too obvious, but sometimes there are really good reasons why someone shouldn't be close to someone else. I absolutely detest when someone that has been outside in the hot summer sun suddenly wants to come up and give a hug. Maybe if they would do it with their arms down it might be better, but somehow this never happens.

Although the old sniff test is rarely something huggers seem to use, please do it frequently and drop back to a handshake or a simple "Hi" if you think you don't pass.

source

Sensual

A hug is just a hug ?

Or should we call it family hug?

source in spanish

Rule Number 1

There are those that are huggers and those that are not. I have to admit I am in the last category, however I am not as "anti-hugging" as I used to be. In my travels I have definitely found that in some geographic locations hugging is just more normalized and more common, while in others it is not. While I don't have any hard and fast evidence or statistics, it seems to me the farther south you get the more common hugging is, especially between non-family members. Hugging just isn't done in social or family situations, more and more I am seeing hugging at business meetings, community gatherings and even random acts of hugging whenever and wherever.

If you are a hugger, and I mean that only in the most appropriate way, there are some basic hugging rules that really need to be followed.

Rule #1 – Personal Space Boundaries

Huggers often have very small personal space boundaries. Personal space is the invisible area around your body that you don't want to have invaded, especially by someone you don't know or don't like. For most people living in what is considered a western civilization, personal space is approximately a circle of about 20 inches around the body. For some of us this boundary can extend several feet. Huggers have to realize that coming into someone's personal space is downright stressful, so perhaps watch how the individual is viewing your approach and don't just leap right next to another person.

Personal space can vary based on any number of factors. This can include your profession, your life experiences and your physical location. Of course how well you know the person approaching can also affect how comfortable or uncomfortable with that individual getting into your protected territory. source

Pon and Zi

Pon and Zi is an emo cartoon for young and special people.There's no sign of who is who, I guess Pon is the yellow one who is deeply in love with Zi and expresses his feelings for her all the time.

No bear hug is welcome!

A Bear hug, also known as a bodylock, is a grappling clinch hold and stand-up grappling position where the arms are wrapped around the opponent, either around the opponent's chest, midsection, or thighs; sometimes with one or both of the opponents arms pinned to the opponent's body. The hands are locked around the opponent and the opponent is held tightly to the chest. The bear hug is a dominant position , with great control over the opponent, and also allows an easy takedown to the back mount position.

A variation of the bear hug is the inverted bear hug, where one wrestler has his hands locked behind his opponent's mid or lower back and presses his forehead into their sternum, while pulling his locked hands inwards towards himself; forcing his opponent to bend backwards and fall. It is a painful move as much pressure is being exerted onto the opponent's sternum, often hurting the back bones and muscles as well as forcing air out of the lungs.

Moreover if you are a father and a spanish speaker you must watch this :

El abrazo de oso NO es un buen abrazo.

Eternal

February 8th 2007 at Mantua, in an amazing echo of that heartrending story, archaeologists revealed the discovery of a couple locked in a tender embrace, one that has endured for more than 5,000 years.

Read more

Mug hug versus hug in a mug

or discomfort with destiny

All the arms we need...

...should be for hugging. (unknown)
(the proverb actually says ARE for hugging, but it 's been modified for obvious reasons)

picture1

Inappropriate or annoying

Is it such an inappropriate thing to do ? Queen Elizabeth made the first move!:)

In the next one Tevez doesn't want another hug from Maradona

Christian side hug

The Christian side hug is a satirical term for a display of affection in which a person hugs another by putting one arm around their shoulders, rather than both arms around them, thus minimizing the chance of inadvertent sexual contact.

Side hugging for religious reasons was first labeled the "Christian side hug" in a rap song written by Ryan Pann of California. The song was performed as a skit at the 2009 Encounter Generation evangelical youth conference (EG), hosted by The Fathers House church in Vacaville, CA. The song's lyrics state that attendees will be sent home if they "front hug," so they should opt for the "Christian side hug" instead. The song's video, which has become somewhat of an internet joke, includes gunshot sounds, sirens, and performers dressed like street thugs.

Pann has said the song was satirizing the Christian habit of side hugging,but another mock rap video from the conference reinforces the Christian Side Hug song's message, making it clear that organizers were serious about keeping physical interactions to a minimum. The list of EG conference rules also includes a ban on public displays of affection.

The Christian side hug within the abstinence movement

EG is not the only religious youth organization to encourage side hugs over front hugs, with magazine (published by Focus on the Family ), advising readers to refrain from front hugging members of the opposite sex as far back as 2007. Also, rules against front hugging are part of at least some youth leader employment agreements.

source

Incorrect?

Richard Gere and his "effusive" hug and kiss to indian actress Shilpa Shetty that caused riots in India.
The following day several conservative and Hindu groups held protests in New Delhi and cities in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan states.
The demonstrators burned posters and effigies of the stars and said that the kissing act was against Indian culture.
Remember the episode:

What do you think?

Teacher's resignation after a hug with a student

Forbidden hugs at School

Controversial

Could you be one of these two huggers below?
Is it really sane to forgive and forget?

Abrazo del olvido- Forgiving's embrace- Chile, 1988


Pope John Paul hugging and shaking hands with his agressor

A bit of semantics

EMBRACE: em·brace (m-brs) v. em·braced, em·brac·ing, em·brac·es v.tr. 1. To clasp or hold close with the arms, usually as an expression of affection. 2. a. To surround; enclose: We allowed the warm water to embrace us. b. To twine around: a trellis that was embraced by vines. 3. To include as part of something broader. See Synonyms at include. 4. To take up willingly or eagerly: embrace a social cause. 5. To avail oneself of: "I only regret, in my chilled age, certain occasions and possibilities I didn't embrace" (Henry James). v.intr. To join in an embrace. n. 1. An act of holding close with the arms, usually as an expression of affection; a hug. 2. An enclosure or encirclement: caught in the jungle's embrace. 3. Eager acceptance: your embrace of Catholicism.
HUG
v. hugged, hug·ging, hugs
v.tr.
1. To clasp or hold closely, especially in the arms, as in affection; embrace.
2. To hold steadfastly to; cherish: He still hugs his outmoded beliefs.
3. To stay close to: a sailboat hugging the shore.
v.intr.
To embrace or cling together closely.
n.
1. A close, affectionate embrace.
2. A crushing embrace, as in wrestling.
CUDDLE cuddle [ˈkʌdəl] vb 1. to hold (another person or thing) close or (of two people, etc.) to hold each other close, as for affection, comfort, or warmth; embrace; hug 2. (intr; foll by up) to curl or snuggle up into a comfortable or warm position n a close embrace, esp when prolonged [of uncertain origin] cuddlesome adj cuddly adj

Hug free vs Free hugs

Have you ever felt like Chandler in "Friends"?
"Friends" hug free

While Chandler claims for space, others want to fill it with an embrace :

Artistic

This world is becoming more selfish and apathetic everyday.
Next generations will probably end up being paid... to hug.

"Since 2000, Gao Brothers have hugged hundreds of strangers and organised group hugging performances with strangers at many public locations in different ways and have taken a lot of interesting photographs."see more of hug performance here

GAO Brothers
"The Gao Brothers are looking at people like scientists observing bacilli in the microscope in order to reproduce their movements by choreographing them. Powerless demiurges, they wonder about these damned souls, hard-working, in exile, bruised and blinded by the utopian lights of construction sites, embracing themsleves for a moment of eternity."

Gao Brothers, Twenty People Paid to Hug No. 2 (2001), C-print, courtesy of the artist. [Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery, Vancouver BC, Jan 16-Apr 19]
see more of GAO brothers

♥They'll never surrender♥

Do you want to see two who are so deeply IN LOVE* that don't care about being loved back, hugged back, kissed back, etcetera?



Today is THEIR DAY !

*obsessed?

Don't need you anymore

Remember when we used to watch TV from bed on cold winter nights?
Then summertime came, you said you needed air, and perhaps I left the window... maybe... too wide open.

Fortunately for 30 dollars I got my portable hugger that looks like half of a boyfriend’s torso, in a shirt similar to a prison uniform.

If you say it's creepy ... I may think you are jealous.

Happy weekend whoever is reading this!

source

Let kids explain it to you

"You didn't call me even when you knew I wasn't feeling well! Why?"
Worst answer ever:
"What could I do? I'm not a doctor."

At least it's worth trying.

Book of embraces/Libro de los abrazos

The Book of Embraces is a mosaic of vignettes, laid meticulously out—poetry next to autobiography, next to political commentary, beside allegory, nudged up against myth—to create a stunning, full-bodied picture of the spectrum of humanity. Galeano is a wonderous and radical story-teller, whose brain child—whose veritable book of wonders—is an articulation of just where the limits of language, indeed, of story telling, lie. And with each subsequent book, he pushes those boundaries farther. In The Book of Embraces, his writing is paired with woodcuts, which further exemplify the already luscious images his prose paint.

"When it is genuine,” Galeano writes, “when it is born of the need to speak, no one can stop the human voice . . . Because every single one of us has something to say to the others, something that deserves to be celebrated or forgiven by others." In his writing, he creates worlds nestled within worlds, and with a flourish of his pen, invites us in. He bids us “turn loose the voices, undream the dreams,” and caught up in his writing, you do—he leaves you no other choice.

En español no hace falta contar quién es Eduardo Galeano.
A continuación fragmentos de "El libro de los abrazos" para disfrutar.

"Un sistema de desvínculo: El buey solo bien se lame.
El prójimo no es tu hermano, ni tu amante. El prójimo
es un competidor, un enemigo, un obstáculo a saltar o
una cosa para usar. El sistema, que no da de comer,
tampoco da de amar: a muchos los condena al hambre
de pan y a muchos más condena al hambre de abrazos."

"El amor es una enfermedad de las más jodidas y contagiosas.
A los enfermos, cualquiera nos reconoce. Hondas
ojeras delatan que jamás dormimos, despabilados
noche tras noche por los abrazos, y padecemos fiebres
devastadoras y sentimos una irresistible necesidad de
decir estupideces."

"Pequeña muerte, llaman en Francia a la culminación del
abrazo, que rompiéndonos nos junta y perdiéndonos nos
encuentra y acabándonos nos empieza. Pequeña muerte,
la llaman; pero grande, muy grande ha de ser, si matándonos nos nace."

All for a hug

What's the weirdest thing one could do to get or give a good hug?

They say

A hug is like a boomerang - you get it back right away. ~Bil Keane, "Family Circus"

Millions and millions of years would still not give me half enough time to describe that tiny instant of all eternity when you put your arms around me and I put my arms around you. ~Jacques Prévert

Everybody needs a hug. It changes your metabolism. ~Leo Buscaglia

You can't wrap love in a box, but you can wrap a person in a hug. ~Author Unknown


Hug Department: Always Open ~Author Unknown

I love hugging. I wish I was an octopus, so I could hug ten people at a time. ~Drew Barrymore

No matter how hard you hug your money, it never hugs back. ~Quoted in P.S. I Love You, compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Arm ourselves for war? No! All the arms we need are for hugging. ~Author Unknown

image

Middle East Peace

September 17th , 1978-Washington DC
Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat embrace in the East Room of the White House.Camp David Summit concludes with the signing of a "Framework for Peace" in the Middle East.
President of the United States Jimmy Carter applauds.
...

image source

Worlds fusion

A little sample of these pieces of art that I've just discovered.

Where are science boundaries? Do they exist? Who is benefited with its advances? Is humanity capable of controlling its creations? And what should it do with its mistakes?

These are the main questions in her work.
The world she depicts is unreal, hugs are not the main topic but there's no doubt that they take an important part in the joining of reality and imagination. A fusion between real world and this other world that science may concibe, more real than what we think.
Nearer to our daily life than we tend to believe.

Piccinini's site

Romantic

There are several variations of romantic hugs.

A prolonged hug in a cozy, comfortable position is called a cuddle.

Spooning is a cuddle when both partners cuddle facing the same direction, i.e., the front of one person is in contact with the back of the second one. The person whose front is in contact with the other's back is referred to as the "Big Spoon" and the person whose back is in contact with the other's front in referred to as the "Little Spoon". "Big Spoon" is a position held predominantly by males, whilst "Little Spoon" is typically the female, or smaller partner.

Snuggling, also known as "kanoodling", coined by the modern psychologist Alexander Althoff, refers to a more intimate form of cuddling, with the two bodies almost intertwined, i.e. one person's leg between the other's.

A cuddle party is a party where strangers cuddle, touch, caress and massage each other.

picture

Good friends'

What a scene! This is "THE HUG" of the sad endings in movies.
I always shed tears when I see it.

Midnight Cowboy (1969)-Dustin Hoffman -Jon Voight.

This is my Manson

Astounding as it may appear this is him, no doubt, it's our Marilyn Manson hugging two at the same time! His beloved Dita (pic from 2005) and ... a Koala!
Doesn't he look cute?
You may tell that koalas are liable to cling to anything that appears in their way, without discriminating among trees, long legs or a complete human being that looks like the devil himself.

You are right.

But I like the idea that at the time of the picture Manson was "deeply" in love, and so if Dita liked the creature he liked it too, with the sole purpose of pleasing her.
Now, if you still have doubts about his willingness to hug and pant the little animal without thinking of it as a future lunch, this next picture shows a man with feelings.

Good for him!

source

Making history

This picture was taken by Pinelides Aristóbulo Fusco, the oficial photographer of Perón and his wife Eva, on the 25th of August of 1951 at the Balcony of Casa Rosada.It shows the exact moment when Eva rejects vicepresidency since she's already ill with cancer. The embrace as taken by Fusco is a touching scene who later won a First Pize.

Come on !

Old people are sometimes the cactuses of the world.

source

Dos and don'ts

Etiquette
- Always respect another person's space.
- Ask permission when you need or want to share a hug [unless you're already on such intimate terms with the huggee that you've established that hugging is acceptable w/out permission].
- There is a difference between a warm, friendly hug and a passionate embrace - please hug accordingly.
- A hug is a gentle embrace - not the Heimlich.

Techniques
Some huggers pat while hugging. Others simply hold and embrace. Gently rub the back of your huggee and they'll be back for more! [Unless this is a first hug, in which case gently rubbing can be misconstrued as creepy space-invading!]

Me-Hug
A great way to start the day and whenever you need or want a hug. Warm-up your hugging muscles with a real good stretch by wrapping your arms around yourself!

Hand-Hug (aka the Reserved Hugger's Hug)
This is the most common and frequently shared hug... a simple handshake.

Side-to-side Hug (aka the Buddy Hug)
Huggers stand or sit next to one another, embracing around the waist or shoulders.

A-frame Hug
Huggers stand about a foot and a half a part, bend at the waist.... only the shoulders touch as you embrace! [May also include a kiss on one or both cheeks. This is the most common, and acceptable, form of hugging in social settings.]

Back-to-front Hug
Gently wrap your arms around huggee's waist and embrace. Always let your huggee know you are behind them. [A very sweet way to let your lover know he/she is special. Especially when the hugger's head is gently laid upon the huggee's back.]

Cheek-to-cheek Hug
This hug requires no arms. Simply face your huggee and press your cheeks together. Face the same way for the Kodak Moment Hug. [Oftentimes accompanied by a hand placed on the opposite cheek of the hugging cheek. This one takes place often among family or close-friends gatherings.]

Custom-tailored Hug
To insure a high-quality hug, whenever a taller hugger hugs a smaller huggee. The taller hugger should bend at the knees to come eye level with the huggee and embrace. [Unless it's a hug between two lovers; in which case, the shorter of the two often finds it a great comfort to rest the head on the taller person's chest.]

Bear Hug
This is a full body hug. Hugger and huggee are toe-to-toe and belly-to-belly. [If you can slip a piece of paper in bertween the huggers or see any glimpse of light, it isn't being done properly!]


Addition:

Man Hug
It starts with the ritual grasping of the right hands. The two men then pull each other in with a loud, "AAAAYYYY" or "WASSUP?!" Only the shoulders and chest touch, with the still-clasped hands bound together between the chests, thereby creating the all-important buffer zone. The hug is punctuated by copious back slapping while the two are still in an embrace. The hug is concluded with much nervous shifting, laughter and louder than normal banter.
source
cartoon
image