From: "Rich Gauszka" 

Thinks to live by

Wash your hands

Don't go hunting with Cheney


"Mark"  wrote in message
news:43f0f5c4{at}w3.nls.net...
> Ted Nugent was right after all?
>
> Seriously though, all those tips sound like the standard safety procedures
> to avoid salmonella from chicken, so shouldn't be anything new for any
> responsible cook -- does make one want to eat in more often than out
> though.
>
> "Rich Gauszka"  wrote in message
> news:43f0dd1e{at}w3.nls.net...
>> It looks like cats can only spread Toxoplasma via their feces.
>>
>> The CDC reports that more than 60 million Americans are infected
>>
>> http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/toxoplasmosis/factsht_toxoplasmosis.
htm
>> No, cats only spread Toxoplasma in their feces for a few weeks following
>> infection with the parasite. Like humans, cats rarely have symptoms when
>> first infected, so most people do not know if their cat has been
>> infected. The infection will go away on its own; therefore it does not
>> help to have your cat or your cat's feces tested for Toxoplasma.
>>
>> How can I prevent toxoplasmosis?
>>
>> There are several general sanitation and food safety steps you can take
>> to reduce your chances of becoming infected with Toxoplasma.
>>
>> Wear gloves when you garden or do anything outdoors that involves
>> handling soil. Cats, which may pass the parasite in their feces, often
>> use gardens and sandboxes as litter boxes. Wash your hands well with soap
>> and water after outdoor activities, especially before you eat or prepare
>> any food.
>>
>> When preparing raw meat, wash any cutting boards, sinks, knives, and
>> other utensils that might have touched the raw meat thoroughly with soap
>> and hot water to avoid cross-contaminating other foods. Wash your hands
>> well with soap and water after handling raw meat.
>>
>> Cook all meat thoroughly; that is, to an internal temperature of 160ø F
>> and until it is no longer pink in the center or until the juices become
>> colorless. Do not taste meat before it is fully cooked.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> "Gary Britt"  wrote in message
>> news:43f0d833{at}w3.nls.net...
>>> As a cat owner with one cat that regularly eats wild mice, it concerns
>>> me
>>> that cats are a prevalent carrier.
>>>
>>> I'd be interested if you get more info on it, and what it takes to kill
>>> the
>>> parasite, etc.
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>>
>>> Gary
>>>
>>> "Rich Gauszka"  wrote in message
>>> news:43f0b963$1{at}w3.nls.net...
>>>> Start with Cheney - keep all shotguns away from him temporarily at
>>>> least
>>> :-)
>>>>
>>>> Ideology aside - that half the worlds population is affected by
>>>> Toxoplasma
>>>> parasites  is interesting. I wonder if there are any studies by
>>>> geographic
>>>> location?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> "Gary Britt" 
wrote in message
>>>> news:43f0ac7e{at}w3.nls.net...
>>>> > Bush is a dog person.  The common thread in all of
this is the host
>>>> > engages
>>>> > in behavior calculated to lead to its death.  In
other words the
>>>> > hosts
>>> are
>>>> > trying to commit suicide.  This would explain not
neocon behavior,
>>>> > but
>>>> > liberal neo surrender monkey behavior.  They are trying to do
>>>> > everything
>>>> > they can to interfere with their defense in the face on an
>>>> > intractable
>>> and
>>>> > deadly enemy (i.e., they are trying to commit
suicide).  Maybe we
>>>> > should
>>>> > start testing Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Cindy
Sheehan, everyone at
>>>> > Daily
>>>> > KOS, Monte, etc for these parasites.
>>>> >
>>>> > Gary
>>>> >
>>>> > "Rich Gauszka" 
wrote in message
>>>> > news:43efa227{at}w3.nls.net...
>>>> >> Maybe the neocons have a valid excuse. The
Toxoplasma didn't like
>>> Saddam?
>>>> >>
>>>> >>
http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20060211/sc_space/mindcontrolbyparasites
>>>> >>
>>>> >> Mind Control by Parasites
>>>> >>
>>>> >> Half of the world's human population is infected
with Toxoplasma,
>>>> > parasites
>>>> >> in the body-and the brain. Remember that.
>>>> >> Toxoplasma gondii is a common parasite found in
the guts of cats; it
>>>> >> sheds
>>>> >> eggs that are picked up by rats and other animals
that are eaten by
>>> cats.
>>>> >> Toxoplasma forms cysts in the bodies of the
intermediate rat hosts,
>>>> >> including in the brain.
>>>> >>
>>>> >> Since cats don't want to eat dead, decaying prey,
Toxoplasma takes
>>>> >> the
>>>> >> evolutionarily sound course of being a
"good" parasite, leaving the
>>> rats
>>>> >> perfectly healthy. Or are they?
>>>> >>
>>>> >> Oxford scientists discovered that the minds of
the infected rats
>>>> >> have
>>>> >> been
>>>> >> subtly altered. In a series of experiments, they
demonstrated that
>>>> >> healthy
>>>> >> rats will prudently avoid areas that have been
doused with cat
>>>> >> urine.
>>> In
>>>> >> fact, when scientists test anti-anxiety drugs on
rats, they use a
>>>> >> whiff
>>>> >> of
>>>> >> cat urine to induce neurochemical panic.
>>>> >>
>>>> >> However, it turns out that Toxoplasma-ridden rats
show no such
>>> reaction.
>>>> > In
>>>> >> fact, some of the infected rats actually seek out the cat
>>>> >> urine-marked
>>>> > areas
>>>> >> again and again. The parasite alters the mind (and thus the
>>>> >> behavior)
>>> of
>>>> > the
>>>> >> rat for its own benefit.
>>>> >>
>>>> >> If the parasite can alter rat behavior, does it
have any effect on
>>>> >> humans?
>>>> >>
>>>> >> Dr. E. Fuller Torrey (Associate Director for
Laboratory Research at
>>>> >> the
>>>> >> Stanley Medical Research Institute) noticed links
between Toxoplasma
>>> and
>>>> >> schizophrenia in human beings, approximately
three billion of whom
>>>> >> are
>>>> >> infected with T. gondii:
>>>> >>
>>>> >>   a.. Toxoplasma infection is associated with
damage to astrocytes,
>>> glial
>>>> >> cells which surround and support neurons.
Schizophrenia is also
>>>> >> associated
>>>> >> with damage to astrocytes.
>>>> >>   b.. Pregnant women with high levels of
antibodies to Toxoplasma
>>>> >> are
>>>> >> more
>>>> >> likely to give birth to children who will develop
schizophrenia.
>>>> >>   c.. Human cells raised in petri dishes, and infected with
>>>> >> Toxoplasma,
>>>> > will
>>>> >> respond to drugs like haloperidol; the growth of
the parasite stops.
>>>> >> Haloperidol is an antipsychotic, used to treat
schizophrenia.
>>>> >> Dr. Torrey got together with the Oxford
scientists, to see if
>>>> >> anything
>>>> > could
>>>> >> be done about those parasite-controlled rats that
were driven to
>>>> >> hang
>>>> > around
>>>> >> cat urine-soaked corners (waiting for cats).
According to a recent
>>> press
>>>> >> release, haloperidol restores the rat's healthy
fear of cat urine.
>>>> >> In
>>>> > fact,
>>>> >> antipsychotic drugs were as effective as
pyrimethamine, a drug that
>>>> >> specifically eliminates Toxoplasma.
>>>> >>
>>>> >> Are parasites like Toxoplasma subtly altering
human behavior? As it
>>> turns
>>>> >> out, science fiction writers have been thinking
about whether or not
>>>> >> parasites could alter a human being's behavior,
or even take control
>>>> >> of
>>> a
>>>> >> person. In his 1951 novel The Puppet Masters,
Robert Heinlein wrote
>>> about
>>>> >> alien parasites the size of dinner plates that
took control of the
>>> minds
>>>> > of
>>>> >> their hosts, flooding their brains with
neurochemicals. In this
>>> excerpt,
>>>> >> a
>>>> >> volunteer strapped to a chair allows a parasite
to be introduced;
>>>> >> the
>>>> >> parasite rides him, taking over his mind. Under
these conditions, it
>>>> >> is
>>>> >> possible to interview the parasite; however, it
refuses to answer
>>>> >> until
>>>> >> zapped with a cattle prod.
>>>> >>
>>>> >>   He reached past my shoulders with a rod. I felt
a shocking,
>>> unbearable
>>>> >> pain. The room blacked out as if a switch had
been thrown.. I was
>>>> >> split
>>>> >> apart by it; for the moment I was masterless.
>>>> >>
>>>> >>   The pain left, leaving only its searing memory
behind. Before I
>>>> >> could
>>>> >> speak, or even think coherently for myself, the
splitting away had
>>> ended
>>>> > and
>>>> >> I was again safe in the arms of my master...
>>>> >>
>>>> >>   The panic that possessed me washed away; I was
again filled with
>>>> >> an
>>>> >> unworried sense of well being...
>>>> >>
>>>> >>   "What are you?" "We are the
people... We have studied you and we
>>>> >> know
>>>> > your
>>>> >> ways... We come," I went on, "to bring
you peace.. and
>>>> >> contentment-and
>>>> >> the
>>>> >> joy of-of surrender." I hesitated again;
"surrender" was not the
>>>> >> right
>>>> > word.
>>>> >> I struggled with it the way one struggles with a
poorly grasped
>>>> >> foreign
>>>> >> language. "The joy," I repeated,
"-the joy of . . .nirvana." That
>>>> >> was
>>> it;
>>>> >> the word fitted. I felt like a dog being patted
for fetching a
>>>> >> stick; I
>>>> >> wriggled with pleasure.
>>>> >>
>>>> >>
>>>> >> Still not sure that parasites can manipulate the
behavior of host
>>>> > organisms?
>>>> >> Consider these other cases:
>>>> >>
>>>> >>   a.. The lancet fluke Dicrocoelium dendriticum
forces its ant host
>>>> >> to
>>>> >> attach to the tips of grass blades, the easier to
be eaten. The
>>>> >> fluke
>>>> > needs
>>>> >> to get into the gut of a grazing animal to
complete its life cycle.
>>>> >>   b.. The fluke Euhaplorchis californiensis
causes fish to shimmy
>>>> >> and
>>>> >> jump
>>>> >> so wading birds will grab them and eat them, for
the same reason.
>>>> >>   c.. Hairworms, which live inside grasshoppers,
sabotage the
>>>> > grasshopper's
>>>> >> central nervous system, forcing them to jump into
pools of water,
>>>> >> drowning
>>>> >> themselves. Hairworms then swim away from their
hapless hosts to
>>> continue
>>>> >> their life cycle.
>>>> >>
>>>> >> Not all science-fictional parasites are harmful;
read about the
>>> Crosswell
>>>> >> tapeworm from Brian Aldiss' 1969 story Super-Toys
Last All Summer
>>>> >> Long
>>>> > (the
>>>> >> basis for the Kubrick/Spielberg film AI), which
keeps people who
>>> overeat
>>>> >> from becoming obese. Not to mention robots based
on parasites. Read
>>> press
>>>> >> release on evidence for link between Toxoplasma
and schizophrenia,
>>>> > Suicidal
>>>> >> grasshoppers. Story via blogger Carl Zimmer and
his readers.
>>>> >>
>>>> >>
>>>> >
>>>> >
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>

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