Welcome to Connect! Unite! Act!
A daily series, Connect! Unite! Act! seeks to create face-to-face networks in each congressional district. Groups regularly socialize but also get out the vote, support candidates and engage in other local political actions that help our progressive movement grow and exert influence on the powers-that-be. Visit us at Daily Kos every morning at 7:30 A.M. Pacific Time to see how you can get involved. The comment thread is fun and light-hearted, but we're serious about moving the progressive political agenda forward. |
If you are new to the site or have been lurking, we invite you to join in the friendly banter here. Don’t be shy, you have something to say. Say anything, it will be well received. Join any of our communities at Daily Kos, just for camaraderie!
As you know I’m totally interested in science especially medical science. I’m also fascinated with all the things they keep newly discovering about Neanderthals. The more they get into the details of the Neanderthal genome the more we discover things about ourselves as well. The latest on that front is we now know that HPV16 (the virus that caused cancer in me) came from Neanderthals. There are different variants of HPV16, but the most dangerous cancer-causing one came from humans doing the two-backed aardvark with Neanderthals. www.vox.com/...
Another new tid-bit came out regarding our immunity. Neanderthal DNA, when mixed with Homo Sapien DNA, helped the immune systems of those coming out of Africa moving into Europe to deal with new pathogens found in Europe but not in Africa. Their genes also caused our skin to be tougher against the cold. However, we got some things from mixing our DNA that didn’t help. www.bbc.com/...
Gene variants influenced human illnesses, such as type 2 diabetes, long-term depression, lupus, billiary cirrhosis - an autoimmune disease of the liver - and Crohn's disease.
Another of my interests is what parasites do to us. They are now learning that there likely are a number of them that live inside us which can cause us to change. I deal with too many people with chronic Lyme Disease. Still to this day, the CDC continues to claim there is no such a thing. There is. Many people suffer from it. I believe the CDC continues to disbelieve it is real because there is no treatment for it. Most folks are put on antibiotics for years. They keep cycling through different antibiotics for several weeks at a time. We now know four different bacteria cause the disease (Borrelia mayonii, Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia afzelii and Borrelia garinii). www.mayoclinic.org/...
Then there are four other bacteria that can be involved including Babesia, which is a malarial type of bug that affects your red blood cells (it gets really messy). Antibiotic cocktails are the main treatment to date. Typically people with chronic Lyme are cycled through different antibiotics for several weeks at a time. Once Lyme Disease gets into your central nervous system, it’s extremely ugly and can cause a real psychosis. I have one patient who suffers from this. It is beyond devastating. Her life has been ruined.
Frank psychosis, which has been misdiagnosed as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Panic attacks and anxiety can occur; also, delusional behavior may be seen, including somatoform delusions, sometimes accompanied by a depersonalization or derealization syndrome, where the patients begin to feel detached from themselves or from reality. en.wikipedia.org/...
I had a talk recently with a psychologist about how she goes about working with these folks. She told me there is no “talk therapy” that can do a thing because the problem is in how their brains work and not from some past trauma or bad childhood experience. It’s an organic disease and not actually a mental issue. OK.
Today I’m going to talk about our brains on Toxoplasma gondii (taxoplasmosis). Typically we acquire this bad boy from cats. Cleaning out a cat box is something folks just do without thinking. I have a cat. Whenever I clean the cat box I hold my breath. Inhaling while cleaning cat poop is the way most folks get this bug believe it or not. You can also acquire it from eating or drinking food that’s infected. Pregnant women are always advised to never clean a cat box...better yet, get rid of any cats while pregnant.
50% of all people on the planet are believed to have taxoplasmosis in their organs and brains. What does it do? If it gets into your brain it changes your behavior, that’s what. Cats get it from eating birds and rodents that are already infected by it. When uninfected mice come in contact with it via cat feces, it infects them and goes into their brains. This causes mice to become unafraid of cats thus making them much easier to catch and eat.
How does it affect humans? In several ways, and it turns out to affect men and women differently.
The disease is then passed in the cats feces, and can stay dormant for many years, just waiting to infect its next target. Studies show that a whopping 50% of the world's population are infected with toxoplasmosis and may never even show symptoms.
Studies have proven that the personality of infected men showed lower superego strength (rule consciousness) and higher vigilance. Thus, the men were more likely to disregard rules and were more expedient, suspicious, jealous, and dogmatic. Imagine a world of danger seeking, rule breaking dudes. The personality of infected women, by contrast, showed higher warmth and higher superego strength, suggesting that they were more warm hearted, outgoing, conscientious, persistent, and moralistic. On top of that, Both men and women had significantly higher apprehension compared with the uninfected subjects.
www.huffingtonpost.com/…
Kathleen Mclaughlin wrote a book about this titled, “This Is Your Brain On Parasites.” You’d be amazed at how many different animals and insects get parasites or bacteria in their brains which cause very strange behavioral changes.
Are we in control, or are we just puppets to parasites?
As always, this is an Open Thread!
LET'S BUILD IN-REAL-LIFE COMMUNITIES!
Our team is here to provide support and guidance to new and existing volunteer leaders of each regional and state group, helping them with recruiting, organizing and executing social and action events. We invite you to join in this effort to build our community. There are many ways to pitch in. If there isn't a group to join near you, please start one.
The orange pinpoints are the location of each organized group of Daily Kos readers. If you'd like to join a group, click on a point and a box will pop up showing contact links. If you'd like to start a group, contact navajo for instructions.
THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY
Colorado: Sunday Mornings
Michigan: Wednesdays, 6:00 PM Eastern
North Carolina: Sundays, 1:00 PM Eastern
Washington: Sundays, 3:30 PM Pacific
Missouri: Wednesday Evenings
Kansas: Monday Evenings
We appreciate everyone’s work on the ground locally while the general is ramping up. Please let us know in the comments what you’re working on. For example, GOTV, down-ballot campaign volunteering, blogging about our races, etc.
All hands on deck.
Let us know if you’ve got any events that would be of interest to other readers of Daily Kos IN-YOUR-REAL-LIFE space.
SFKossacks Holiday Party!
Saturday, November 19th, 1:00 PM, Wine Country in the town Windsor. Private residence address will be given to the folk who RSVP.
Please send navajo a kosmail to RSVP and state your potluck item. We need non-alcoholic beverages, appetizers, side dishes, (plus vegetarian versions) salads, and bread. Ice and large ice chests, too!
Also tell navajo if you need to carpool. AND! Dogs okay. FTW! No livestock, though.
RSVP & POTLUCK LIST:
1. Andrew McQuire—Host
2. navajo—Whole salmon for bbq for whole crowd
3. MrNavajo—8 six-packs of beer
4. side pocket—
5. Mrs. side pocket
6. smileycreek—Mini jalapeno polenta cups
7. paradise50—
8. Glen The Plumber—
9. remembrance—
10. TLO
11. jotter—One case of wine
12. aha aha
13. dsb—Ice in an ice chest, baguettes & cheese
14. marge—Curried potatoes and roasted vegetables
15. kimoconnor—
16. maggiejean—Salad
17. elfling—
18. Hunter
19. elfling/Hunter offspring, not livestock
20. Lorikeet—side dish
21. norm—
22. jck—side dish
23. Lusty—Vegetable side dish
24. ebby—
25. jakedog42—
|
Maybees: Silky & Dixie the doggie
citisven
Deb
lmccapp & Daisy the doggie
Imccapp’s BF
|
NEW GROUPS FORMING:
Peregrine Kate organized canvassing for her local candidate, Paul Clements. Details about the event are here: Canvassing for Clements in MI-06! WE Are Making a Difference. YOU Can Help! Great job, Kate!
navajo maintains the above event list. Kosmail her if you have any diaries about your event or if you have changes or additions.
DAILY KOS STORE