Bali Forum Latest Topic http://www.homeinbali.com/forum/index.php Fri, 10 Sep 2010 04:03:43 +0000 180 http://www.homeinbali.com/forum/topic/6232-toxoplasmosis-in-cats/ What is toxoplasmosis?

Toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by a single-celled parasite called Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii). Toxoplasmosis is one of the most common parasitic diseases and has been found in nearly all warm-blooded animals, including pets and humans. Despite the high prevalence of T. gondii infection, the parasite rarely causes significant clinical disease in cats-or any species.

What causes toxoplasmosis?

The life cycle of Toxoplasma gondii is complex and involves two types of host-definitive and intermediate. Cats, both wild and domestic, are the only definitive hosts for Toxoplasma gondii. This means that the parasite can only produce oocysts (eggs) when infecting a cat. When a cat ingests an infected prey (or other infected raw meat) the parasite is released into the cat's digestive tract. The organisms then multiply in the wall of the small intestine and produce oocysts during what is known as the intraintestinal infection cycle. These oocysts are then excreted in great numbers in the cat's feces. Cats previously unexposed to T. gondii will usually begin shedding oocysts between three and 10 days after ingestion of infected tissue, and continue shedding for around 10 to 14 days, during which time many millions of oocysts may be produced. Oocysts are very resistant and may survive in the environment for well over a year.

During the intraintestinal infection cycle in the cat, some T. gondii organisms released from the ingested cysts penetrate more deeply into the wall of the intestine and multiply as tachyzoite forms. These forms then spread out from the intestine to other parts of the cat's body, starting the extraintestinal infection cycle. Eventually, the cat's immune system restrains this stage of the organism, which then enters a dormant or "resting" stage by forming cysts in muscles and brain. These cysts contain bradyzoites, or slowly multiplying organisms.

Other animals, including humans, are intermediate hosts of Toxoplasma gondii. These hosts can become infected but do not produce oocysts. Oocysts passed in a cat's feces are not immediately infectious to other animals. They must first go through a process called sporulation, which takes one to five days depending on environmental conditions. Once sporulated, oocysts are infectious to cats, people, and other intermediate hosts. Intermediate hosts become infected through ingestion of sporulated oocysts, and this infection results in formation of tissue cysts in various tissues of the body. Tissue cysts remain in the intermediate host for life and are infectious to cats, people and other intermediate hosts if the cyst-containing tissue is eaten.

How will toxoplasmosis affect my cat?

Most cats infected with T. gondii will not show any symptoms. Occasionally, however, clinical disease-toxoplasmosis-occurs. When disease does occur, it may develop when the cat's immune response is not adequate to stop the spread of tachyzoite forms. The disease is more likely to occur in cats with suppressed immune systems, including young kittens and cats with feline leukemia virus (FELV) or feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV).

The most common symptoms of toxoplasmosis include fever, loss of appetite, and lethargy. Other symptoms may occur depending on whether the infection is acute or chronic, and where the parasite is found in the body. In the lungs, T. gondii infection can lead to pneumonia, which will cause respiratory distress of gradually increasing severity. Toxoplasmosis can also affect the eyes and central nervous system, producing inflammation of the retina or anterior ocular chamber, abnormal pupil size and responsiveness to light, blindness, incoordination, heightened sensitivity to touch, personality changes, circling, head pressing, twitching of the ears, difficulty in chewing and swallowing food, seizures, and loss of control over urination and defecation.

How is toxoplasmosis diagnosed in cats?

Toxoplasmosis is usually diagnosed based on the history, signs of illness, and the results of supportive laboratory tests. Measurement of IgG and IgM antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in the blood can help diagnose toxoplasmosis. The presence of significant IgG antibodies to T. gondii in a healthy cat suggests that the cat has been previously infected and now is most likely immune and not excreting oocysts. The presence of significant IgM antibodies to T. gondii, however, suggests an active infection of the cat. The absence of T. gondii antibodies of both types in a healthy cat suggests that the cat is susceptible to infection and thus would shed oocysts for one to two weeks following infection.

Sometimes the oocysts can be found in the feces, but this is not a reliable method of diagnosis because they look similar to some other parasites. Also, cats shed the oocysts for only a short period of time and often are not shedding the oocysts when they are showing signs of disease. A definitive diagnosis requires microscopic examination of tissues or tissue impression smears for distinctive pathologic changes and the presence of tachyzoites.

Can toxoplasmosis be treated?

Most cats that have toxoplasmosis can recover with treatment. Treatment usually involves a course of an antibiotic called Clindamycin. Other drugs that are used include pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine, which act together to inhibit T. gondii reproduction. Treatment must be started as soon as possible after diagnosis and continued for several days after signs have disappeared. In acute illness, treatment is sometimes started on the basis of a high antibody titer in the first test. If clinical improvement is not seen within two to three days, the diagnosis of toxoplasmosis should be questioned.

No vaccine is as yet available to prevent either T. gondii infection or toxoplasmosis in cats, humans, or other species.

Can I "catch" toxoplasmosis from my cat?

Because cats only shed the organism for a few days in their entire life, the chance of human exposure is small. Owning a cat does not mean you will be infected with the disease. It is unlikely that you would be exposed to the parasite by touching an infected cat, because cats usually do not carry the parasite on their fur. It is also unlikely that you can become infected through cat bites or scratches. In addition, cats kept indoors that do not hunt prey or are not fed raw meat are not likely to be infected with T. gondii.

In the United States, people are much more likely to become infected through eating raw meat and unwashed fruits and vegetables than from handling cat feces.

How are people infected with Toxoplasma gondii?

Contact with oocyst-contaminated soil is probably the major means by which many different species-rodents, ground-feeding birds, sheep, goats, pigs, and cattle, as well as humans living in developing countries-are exposed to Toxoplasma gondii. In the industrialized nations, most transmission to humans is probably due to eating undercooked infected meat, particularly lamb and pork. People also become infected by eating unwashed fruits and vegetables. The organism can sometimes be present in some unpasteurized dairy products, such as goat's milk. Toxoplasma gondii can also be transmitted directly from pregnant woman to unborn child when the mother becomes infected during pregnancy.

There are two populations at high risk for infection with Toxoplasma gondii; pregnant women and immunodeficient individuals. Congenital infection is of greatest concern in humans. About one-third to one-half of human infants born to mothers who have acquired Toxoplasma during that pregnancy are infected. The vast majority of women infected during pregnancy have no symptoms of the infection themselves. The majority of infected infants will show no symptoms of toxoplasmosis at birth, but many are likely to develop signs of infection later in life. Loss of vision, mental retardation, loss of hearing, and death in severe cases, are the symptoms of toxoplasmosis in congenitally infected children.

In immunodeficient people-those undergoing immunosuppressive therapy (e.g., for cancer or organ transplantation) or those with an immunosuppressive disease such as AIDS-enlargement of the lymph nodes, ocular and central nervous-system disturbances, respiratory disease, and heart disease are among the more characteristic symptoms. In these patients-especially those with AIDS-relapses of the disease are common, and the mortality rate is high. In the past, immunodeficient people and pregnant women were advised to avoid cats. However, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) now advises that this is not necessary.

What can I do to prevent toxoplasmosis?

There are several general sanitation and food safety steps you can take to reduce your chances of becoming infected with Toxoplasma:

* Do not eat raw or undercooked meat. Meat should be cooked to a temperature of at least 160°F for 20 minutes.
* Do not drink unpasteurized milk.
* Do not eat unwashed fruits and vegetables.
* Wash hands and food preparation surfaces with warm soapy water after handling raw meat.
* Wear gloves when gardening. Wash hands after gardening.
* Wash hands before eating (especially for children).
* Keep children's sandboxes covered.
* Do not drink water from the environment unless it is boiled.
* Do not feed raw meat or undercooked meat to cats. Also, do not give them unpasteurized milk.
* Do not allow cats to hunt or roam.
* Do not allow cats to use a garden or children's play area as their litter box.
* Remove feces from the litter box daily and clean with boiling or scalding water.
* Pregnant women, and persons with suppressed immune systems, should not clean the litter box.
* Control rodent populations and other potential intermediate hosts.]]> Fri, 10 Sep 2010 04:03:43 +0000 http://www.homeinbali.com/forum/topic/6232-toxoplasmosis-in-cats/ http://www.homeinbali.com/forum/topic/6231-ah-the-toils-from-being-a-midwife/
Last night I helped her deliver four beautiful little pups. Coincidently, yesterday was also my oton.

The priest was already over this morning to pick one for temple sacrifice, and the local sate anjing cook has selected two as well leaving only one to find its fate.

OK, OK, I’m only kidding!

I’ll post more photos when the pups are more developed.

Cigar anyone?

]]> Fri, 10 Sep 2010 01:29:01 +0000 http://www.homeinbali.com/forum/topic/6231-ah-the-toils-from-being-a-midwife/ http://www.homeinbali.com/forum/topic/6230-bali-banana-island-of-the-gods/
What i really want to talk about is Bananas.

Where ever in the world have you been to a place where there are so many different species of Bananas??

Here's the list of Banana species we could think of that can be found in Bali:

Biu is the Balinese word for Banana. In Indonesian it's Pisang.

Biu Susu - Milk Banana
Biu Sang Raja - King Banana
Biu Gadang - Green Banana
Biu Mas - Gold Banana
Biu Kayu - Wood Banana
Biu Batu - Stone Banana
Biu Dangsaba (Pisang kepok)
Biu Ketip (only name no meaning that we know of)
Biu Dak Nangka - Jackfruit 'something' Banana
Biu Agung - Grand Banana
Biu Suala (only name no meaning that we know of)

That's 11 species of bananas we could think of. Compare that to what's found in western supermarkets where you'll usually only find 1, the Cavendish.

I declare Bali to be the worlds foremost Banana Island, though, i'm not sure that would be able to compete with the more divine labels used in promotions like 'Island of the Gods' / 'Pulau Dewata ' and so on.]]> Thu, 09 Sep 2010 03:01:48 +0000 http://www.homeinbali.com/forum/topic/6230-bali-banana-island-of-the-gods/ http://www.homeinbali.com/forum/topic/6229-saka-calender-pawukon-calender-balinese-calender-kalender-bali-online/
The Balinese lunar calendar is similar to luni-solar based on the position of the sun and the moon at the same time.

In a compromise it was agreed that: 1 day = 1 day of solar moon. In fact, one moon day is not equal to the length of a solar day. For every 63 days (9 wuku) is a set of single-day solar day equal to two-moon. Today it is called pangunalatri. It is not difficult to apply the theory of arithmetics and a fairly good degree of accuracy requires only one day of correction in a hundred years.

In the first month or sasih moon, it is agreed there are 30 days including 15 days before the full moon called penanggal or suklapaksa, followed by 15 days before new moon (tilem) called panglong or kresnakapsa. Penanggal written from a new month, until 15 is full, use red on the calendar printing. After the full moon, the cycle is repeated again from number one on the day after full moon until the 15th of the month of death (tilem) using the color black. In mathematical calculations, to distinguish colours, titi is often used. Titi is a serial of numbers from one of the new months, up to 30 dead in months.

The months length is not the same solar with sasih length (moon month). Sasih length fluctuates depending on the distances of the Moon and Earth. The solar year period is therefore approximately 11 days longer than a moon year. To align it, roughly each three moon years one extra sasih is added. Ideally the beginning of the year falls on a part-solar-end sasih sixth (Kanem) or part-early seventh sasih (Kapitu), so the new year of Saka (Nyepi holiday) always falls around the the end of months that part the beginning of March until April.

The Lunar new year for Bali, Nyepi is not taking place at the first sasih (Kasa), but, on the tenth sasih (Kadasa). Since the holiday Nyepi, the rate increases Saka year by year being a solar year figure of minus 78 AD.

Many piodalan or temple ceremonies in Bali are determined according to the Saka calendar. Some holy days are also based on the Saka year, for example, Nyepi Day and Holy Day Siwaratri. Good and Bad days for various agricultural and industrial purposes are also very dependent on the Saka year, because the Saka year is closely related to the changes of season. On the calendar, prints made by Balinese calender experts and filled with instructions and analysis about the pros and cons of each day. Even behind each page there is information printed densely as there isn't enough room on the front pages. Despite the importance of the Balinese calendar it seems to always be printed with simple quality paper.

Worth to mention, The role of the young Balinese generations in the Calender do hardly exist at all. Activities such as: good day to pierce the buffalo's nose, a good day to plant rice and so on are still being listed as in the original Calenders though these activities are slowly getting less attention.

Perhaps what is needed for the younger generation to get more involved and use the Saka Calender on a daily basis is instructions when it's a good day to format the hard disk, do facebook, tune-ups to the scooter or buy and new mobile phone, but, giving it a second thought, is this what a sound and steady Bali calender needs?

The pawukon calender is pure arithmetic. This calendar does not record the numbers in the beginning, and spin cycles without stopping. One pawukon year is 210 days, divided into seven units daily which amounts to 30 named wuku. Each Wuku has a name, not much different from wuku names in Java, from which the calculation is derived. The Pawukon calendar month does not take the phase of the seasons into account.

The new year in the calendar pawukon is not known, however, the beginning and end are. The Pawukon beginning cycle is marked by purifying oneself, bathe and swim in the sea or lake, known as a holy day Banyu Pinaruh. After this holy day it ends with a ceremony on the day Sanghyang Aji Saraswati Saniscara Umanis Watugunung.

Because most major holidays in Bali are pawukon determined based on this cycle; the knowledge of this pawukon cycle will be very helpful.

Here is an extremely useful digital online version of Kalender Bali for those without the paper version at hand:

Kalender Bali Online

]]> Wed, 08 Sep 2010 02:11:28 +0000 http://www.homeinbali.com/forum/topic/6229-saka-calender-pawukon-calender-balinese-calender-kalender-bali-online/ http://www.homeinbali.com/forum/topic/6228-american-expats-on-bali/
Please come and join us for a TOWN HALL MEETING to meet the new
Consul General Kristen Bauer & Head of the Consular Section,
Pauline Kastner on Thursday, September 16, 2010 at 5 p.m.

Oranjje Hotel, Jl. Hayam Wuruk 302. Denpasar
(The hotel is about 100 meters from the Consular Agency)

RSVP by e-mail to
amcobali@indosat.net.id

Please don’t forget to bring your passports to gain entry to the event!]]> Mon, 06 Sep 2010 02:02:50 +0000 http://www.homeinbali.com/forum/topic/6228-american-expats-on-bali/ http://www.homeinbali.com/forum/topic/6227-blistering-barnacles-shiver-me-timbers/
When not in their native Philippines, “Captain Freddie” and his wife Karen can be found here in Bali, or on board their wonderful Phinisi boat where it has been our great pleasure to spend countless hours.

Two of his books are currently in print, Teman Hutan and The Streets of Ubud. Both books are superbly illustrated with Captain Freddie’s cartoons which not only have a magical effect on kids, but adults as well. His books are always presented in both Bahasa Indonesia and English.

IMHO, children’s books can sometimes be righteously criticized as propaganda. Kids, being far more intelligent and savvy than most adults will credit them, are often the ones most able to pick up on this.

Beyond his skill as a cartoonist and writer, Captain Freddie is what I would call “a dad amongst dads.” His uncanny skill as witnessed in his books is to take the reader on a wonderful journey which ultimately ends with the young reader seriously thinking about the message.

His modest web site can be found here:

http://captainfreddiecartoons.com/

The photos below are of Captain Freddie at the helm and Bima on one of our pirate voyages. These excursions to the various shores of Nusa Dua resorts to “rape and pillage” unwary tourists on the beach are forever etched into the fondest of memories of both kids and “adults” alike. There is something meaningful to be said for having a “Peter Pan” affinity.

No worries about the can of Bintang Bima is holding, as it was empty.

]]> Mon, 06 Sep 2010 02:00:51 +0000 http://www.homeinbali.com/forum/topic/6227-blistering-barnacles-shiver-me-timbers/ http://www.homeinbali.com/forum/topic/6226-homeland-security/
Of course, this also requires the perfect partnership of an amazing woman as both wife, and mother.

Bali is all too often thought of as an undesirable place to raise children, yet in my mind it is the best place on earth for parents to fulfill their goals, and for their kids to prosper.

Here in Bali we don’t force our active boys to take Ridilan or other drugs designed to “control” what in the West is often called attention deficit disorder. Drugging our kids into some kind of established conformity is something that the Balinese would never consider. I agree completely.

Of course, there is something else to ponder, and that would be how the Balinese raise their children. The Balinese raise their children within a strong immediate family supported by an almost equally strong secondary family, and then, finally, the village Banjar. Balinese children are nurtured by their moms and dads, their mom’s and dad’s families and by the entire village where they live. Where else on earth is it this way anymore?

For many past years I have been participating and watching the development of our three sons, Bima, Rama, and Komang. While they are children of a mixed marriage, there is nothing that is “mixed” about them at all despite my older sister calling Bima a “half-breed” when he was born. On the contrary, they, like most kids from Indo/Other marriages, are happy and content.

Ah yes, the why of the title Homeland Security.

A pun obviously, but not entirely, as each of our boys faced their first major public competition in Karate at the Gianyar Regency Karate finals held earlier today. Each of our boys shared a victory by first, second or tied for third place.

Each of them slowly earns their own respect and position. And their peers?...well, kids in Bali have a blessed ability to be blind to race, color, or religion. Kids in Bali are not so unlike their parents in that they are far more moved by action than by words.

Watching my boys grow within Bali, be it the diving earlier this year, or the Karate competition today is a constant source of pride and confirmation that I belong here.

The last photo is of our Domo, founded just two months ago. Next on my list is a Bunutan Little League baseball team, if I can only find a field of dreams.

]]> Sun, 05 Sep 2010 16:22:53 +0000 http://www.homeinbali.com/forum/topic/6226-homeland-security/ http://www.homeinbali.com/forum/topic/6216-have-dpr-in-jakarta-lost-their-minds/
In the news people are NOT happy about this and the DPR representatives i've seen being interviewed try their best to keep a good face but i smell fear behind some of those smiles. I'm certain there will be some sort of retribution and demonstrations from the people if this incredibly badly timed plan goes ahead. One of them used the reason that 'the old DPR building is abit crammed and they can't get things organized'. A spa, 100 square meter offices and marble walls in a building that more resemble a 5 star Singapore hotel will sure give them the focus to work for the benefits of their people? Sorry for the harsh words but... What the hell are DPR thinking?



Here is an article from Jakarta Globe


A heavily criticized and costly new office building for Indonesian lawmakers will feature a swimming pool, gym and spa facilities, the head architect confirmed on Tuesday.

Budi Sukada, who heads the team overseeing the project, told the Jakarta Globe the facilities were in accordance with Jakarta bylaws.

“There is a bylaw stating that a building occupied by more than 500 people must provide public facilities and social facilities,” Budi said.

He said it was wrong to assume the pool or spa would be similar in appearance to those offered by five-star hotels, saying designers were seeking the functionality of facilities provided by hospitals “for health” reasons.

“We know the lawmakers sit in meetings for hours, so they need facilities to get their blood flowing.”

Budi, however, quashed suggestions the lawmakers’ expansive new 120-square-meeting offices for legislators from the House of Representatives (DPR) would include bedrooms — yet.

“I don’t understand where the rumours about bedrooms or spring beds came from. As of yet, no bedrooms or spring bed are in the plans,” he said.

Legislators in the House, under fire for being out of touch with voters and rewarding themselves for doing very little, have refused to bow completely to public criticism to cancel the lavish construction but have agreed to lower the budget for the project from Rp 1.8 trillion ($200 million) to Rp 1.3 trillion.

The tender process for the project begins today with construction expected to begin this year.

The House has only passed seven bills into law since being inaugurated last October, all amendments to existing laws, with not a single new bill being passed.]]> Fri, 03 Sep 2010 03:42:05 +0000 http://www.homeinbali.com/forum/topic/6216-have-dpr-in-jakarta-lost-their-minds/ http://www.homeinbali.com/forum/topic/6214-i-turned-our-muddy-plant-pond-into-an-underwater-world/ lumut growing swamp in front of our main window i did some trials and errors to turn the Persian-like pond into a living underwater world with lamps, a small water cascade, plastic plants and fossilized woods (which look exactly like real wood). We have a few 'comet' fishes in there to keep mosquitoes from breeding and larger koi fishes for aesthetic bit. They are beautiful fishes and when the night comes the multi-coloured led's pop on automatically and gives us a sense of a miniature underwater world. A great addition to the compound i must say.

As for maintenance it's cleaning the filter everyday and give food in the morning and afternoon or night time which only takes a few minutes. The pump with an additional air sucking miniature hose provide the fishes with enough oxygen or oxygenate the water. 2 days ago the pump was clogged and an additional air-pump i bought recently stopped working. As night time came Wayan noticed one big and one average sized Koi fish was floating and all the others seemed to grasp for oxygen.

I immediately checked the pump and cleaned the filter and got it running again. I decided to replace all the water as well as quick as possible since oxygen would take too long to reinstate. The other fishes recovered quickly and the day after i scrubbed the whole pond and replaced the water again with a small addition of salts to keep the fishes healthy.

This is what our little underwater miracle looks like now.





I will have to get an additional pump though to get more circulation as dirt seem to get stuck in some areas so there will be one fountain'like airflow in the middle and an additional waterflow coming out from the right pushing all the dirt to the left and getting sucked up in the filters in the mid-pump and left corner-pump.]]> Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:14:40 +0000 http://www.homeinbali.com/forum/topic/6214-i-turned-our-muddy-plant-pond-into-an-underwater-world/ http://www.homeinbali.com/forum/topic/6209-balinese-indian-friendship-association-bifa/
The event supported by Indian Republic Embassy in Jakarta and Indian Cultural Centre Bali (ICCB). The event also marked the celebration of 47th Indian Independence as well as welcoming 65th Indonesia Republic independence day on the 17th of August.

“This is the event that we had waited long since the establishment of BIFA. We hope for this inauguration would increase friendship amongst Balinese and Indian, especially amongst those who attended today,” said BIFA president Deetak, accompanied by his secretary Dewi Wastu in the middle of the event.

The show was enlivened with series of cultural performances, the result of Bali-Indian cooperation. There was also an Indian Food Festival that prepared various dishes from India.

This friendship association is accommodating Indian people in Bali, both Hindu and Moslem, so there will be communication that is more intensive in order to build more harmonic relationship with Balinese.

The committee at least would spread 400 invitations to varied circles including Islamic figures in Bali. One invitation is valid for maximum two people.

The guest is also offered to become a member of the BIFA community with only 50.000 Rupiah per person meanwhile a family consist of father-mother and one child is charged 100.000 Rupiah.

Bali Governor, Made Mangku Pastika who was invited to inaugurate BIFA could not attend the event and was delegated by head of Bali Provincial Cultural Agency, Ida Bagus Sedhawa.

Governor Mangku Pastika in his welcome speech hope with the presence of BIFA will increase the friendship through varied fields such as cultural art, religion, education and more.

BIFA also hope to increase Indian tourists coming to Bali and vice versa. Thus, this friendship bond would also support tourism and automatically give a positive economical impact.

This international event was attended by not less than 500 invitations. Half of them belonged to India’s ethnic who live in Bali. The event was also attended by the three Hindu Priests: Ida Pedanda Made Gunung, Ida Pedanda Sebali Tianyar Arimbawa (Dharma Adyaksa from Central PHDI) and Ida Pedanda Gede Sunu Telaga.

The Chairman of the committee, Mrs. Neeta Maholtra explained that this association can strengthen the relationship between Balinese and India citizens. “ The founding of BIFA gives Balinese and India citizens the opportunity to increase their friendship in the form of religion, culture, art, education or economy’ and networking. This will strengthen the national relationship between us” said Mrs. Neeta who owned the network of Queens of India Restaurant accompany with Mr. Deepak Idnani (President of BIFA).

The same proclamation also said by Governor of Bali represented by The Head of Cultural Official. He expects that a friendship of Balinese and Indian citizens in Bali could give a productive contribution to Bali.]]> Wed, 01 Sep 2010 08:47:26 +0000 http://www.homeinbali.com/forum/topic/6209-balinese-indian-friendship-association-bifa/