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This digital document is an article from World of Microbiology and Immunology, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 949 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.Covers the concepts, theories, discoveries, and pioneers in microbiology and immunology, using a mix of traditional academic and topical articles, this title addresses current ethical, legal, and social issues with special emphasis given to biological warfare and terrorism. ... Read more

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After a decade of denial, the British government stunned the world in 1996 by admitting that the deadly dementia affecting its beef and dairy herds was `the most likely cause,` of a new, equally deadly human disease.In the United States meanwhile, official spokepersons continue to mislead the public with reassurances that the disease isn`t happening and can`t happen here.Mad Cow USA tells you the truth, based on extensive research and government documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.Amazon.com Review
Mad Cow U.S.A. is not the book to read before you go out for asteak. In fact, it's not really a book to read before eating anything; this chronicle of government cave-in to pressure from the foodindustry just might scare away your appetite. Authors Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber argue that both the American and British governments colluded with beef producers to suppress important facts about interspecies transmission of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or "mad cow disease"--facts that might have prevented gruesome deaths. Could a British-style BSE epidemic happen in America? In a 1996 TV talk show, Oprah Winfrey attempted to ask the same question, only to find herself slapped with a lawsuit by a group of Texas cattlemen. Their grounds: the so-called agricultural product disparagement laws currently on the books in 13 states; these laws prohibit people from questioning the safety of any agricultural product, shifting the legal burden of proof from the food industry to its watchdogs. What happens when anyone who speaks out about problems with our food supply can be sued into silence? Rampton and Stauber fear grave consequences for public health, and they make a convincing case against these laws--and, inadvertently, for vegetarianism. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Spongio-fantastic! Encephalo-credible... A Great Read.
Couldn't put this book down. More than 10 years old now, but as timely as ever.

I'm glad I read this along with Lymon's "Mad Cowboy"
Eeeek! After reading this I am never, ever eating non-organic meat again. And if I win the lottery I think I'll raise my own critters for eggs & milk (or better yet pay someone else to do it!). This book is frightening but helps explain why many of us feel so damned cruddy most of the time. There are so many toxins and chemicals and other assorted grossities in our food supply it's a wonder many of us are still breathing.

Parts of the book are a bit meandering and repetitive but I am very glad I took the time to get through it.

a real good inquiry into discovery and remedies for BSE
This is an excellent activist book on the discovery of a new type of disease, BSE, also called Mad Cow Disease.The story involves a very interesting history of the science as well as the reactions of the beef and fast food industries.

In a nutshell, the disease appears to be caused by an improperly folded protein (a "prion"), which when it enters the bloodstream can multiply and eventually turn the host's brain into mush, with horrible consequences of course.What the authors highlight is that the mode of transmission appears to be ingestion of these bent proteins, principally from infected cows, years if not decades before symptoms appear.They also stress that the manner in which cows are raised in industrial agriculture makes transmission far more likely:they are directly fed ruminants (leftover cow remains that cannot be eaten by humans), thereby transferring the prions on a massive scale.Humans can then eat them and perhaps become infected by BSE.

After this fascinating and beautifully writtern history, the authors then explore what should be done.While some ruminant feeding has ceased, they argue, the actions of beef producers are both too little (because they are voluntary) and inadequate (because they allow certain forms of ruminant, such as blood, to be fed to cows today).This part of the book is pure advocacy and, I believe, effective in arguing that all ruminant feeding must cease.While I cannot weigh in on the science, it really got me to think in a more informed way.

Recommended.This could become a far greater debate if, it turns out, a lot more infected beef-eating Americans are found.The authors stimulate debate.

The book that predicted it - Mad Cow USA
Six years before the appearance of mad cow disease in the US, this book predicted it.Mad Cow USA warned that the meat industry and the government were failing to take the necessary steps to prevent the disease here, and using falsehoods and PR to cover-up their failings.Unfortunately, this book nailed it.

Too Much Trivia
Parden the pun but where's the beef?
If Dr. Gajdusek was accused of child abuse, how does that relate to Mad Cow?
If Kuru affected some brain eaters before Mad Cow entered the world's vocabluary does that require a whole chapter?
If sheep drop dead from a relative of BSE who cares?
The authors buried the dangers of beef so deep in unrelated and unimportant information, an earth mover couldn't get to the point.
Most meat eaters will write this book off as pure science totally unrelated to everyday life.
Ironicly, those same meat eaters have the most to loose from a carnivore diet.While BSE is rare, there are a million other reasons to avoid meat not the least of which is the filthy slaughter houses. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Inspection Monitor, published by Thomson Gale on May 1, 2006. The length of the article is 559 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: FDA moving ahead with TSE rule, despite 'theoretical' risk from blood, plasma products.
Author: Gale Reference Team
Publication: Inspection Monitor (Newsletter)
Date: May 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 11Issue: 5Page: 1

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Montana Business Quarterly, published by University of Montana on June 22, 2004. The length of the article is 5024 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The BSE threat: an in-depth look at what Montana's experts say.(BSE Threat)(Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy)
Author: Amy Joyner
Publication: Montana Business Quarterly (Refereed)
Date: June 22, 2004
Publisher: University of Montana
Volume: 42Issue: 2Page: 2(8)

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Product Description
This digital document is an article from Risk & Insurance, published by Thomson Gale on September 1, 2007. The length of the article is 1556 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: A CRAP attitude toward risk: a risk-averse society has spawned pseudoscience and the phenomenon of Compulsive Risk Assessment Psychosis, a U.K. professor argues. Our U.K. contributing editor reports on the inexorable rise of CRAP.(REPORT FROM EUROPE)
Author: Graham Buck
Publication: Risk & Insurance (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 18Issue: 10Page: 36(2)

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An examination of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), which discusses the characteristics of the disease and the possibilities of widespread infection, and considers the mistakes the British Government made in their early denial of the dangers of eating potentially infected meat. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Biotech Business, published by Thomson Gale on December 1, 2005. The length of the article is 804 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: PALL PRION PROTECTS BLOOD SUPPLY FROM VARIANT CJD.
Publication: Biotech Business (Newsletter)
Date: December 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 18Issue: 12Page: NA

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

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Julia Fleischer has just been signed to a major record label and the studio is ready to capture her voice for millions to hear. But when a mysterious illness comes out of nowhere, Julia finds herself confronted by terrifying, wondrous visions. Ultimately, they become insights, affording a glimpse into the true nature of success--both in this life and beyond. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Long Strange Trip
This novel takes the reader on a ride through faith and doubt, chemical excesses and painful sobriety, group [physical activity]and isolation--in short, it is a feast or famine, depending on how you look at it.I was shocked at the realistic [physical activity]scenes.As a veteran rock n' roller, myself, I wonder if Sigurdson, the author, has really lived the wild life portrayed here.

Cowslip goes beyond the veneer of the imagination into something more real, and ultimately, terrifying.Make no mistake about it: this is a work of horror in the strongest sense of the word, but it is also literature, not mere genre.

All passages dealing with the supernatural are reigned in.The control is admirable and something that Stephen King and HP Lovecraft could have learned from.I would say this novel can hold its own with Henry James' Turn of the Screw any day.And like James' masterpiece, the reader never really knows if the angels and demons are real or not, but there are some tantilizing clues that they are.

While Sigurdson occationally indulges in the quim of adolescence, and the book teeters on the edge of minutae, it is never boring.Indeed, these details combine to make it uncomfortably real.Once you start reading, you can't put it down, even though the end product leaves a strange taste in your brain.You'll be chewing your mental "cud" for days after this one. Good luck.

Long Strange Trip
This novel takes the reader on a ride through faith and doubt, chemical excesses and painful sobriety, group sex and isolation--in short, it is a feast or famine, depending on how you look at it.I was shocked at the realistic sex scenes.As a veteran rock n' roller, myself, I wonder if Sigurdson, the author, has really lived the wild life portrayed here.

Cowslip goes beyond the veneer of the imagination into something more real, and ultimately, terrifying.Make no mistake about it: this is a work of horror in the strongest sense of the word, but it is also literature, not mere genre.

All passages dealing with the supernatural are reigned in.The control is admirable and something that Stephen King and HP Lovecraft could have learned from.I would say this novel can hold its own with Henry James' Turn of the Screw any day.And like James' masterpiece, the reader never really knows if the angels and demons are real or not, but there are some tantilizing clues that they are.

While Sigurdson occationally indulges in the quim of adolescence, and the book teeters on the edge of minutae, it is never boring.Indeed, these details combine to make it uncomfortably real.Once you start reading, you can't put it down, even though the end product leaves a strange taste in your brain.You'll be chewing your mental "cud" for days after this one. Good luck.

Gritty journal-style novel proves creepy and compelling
One way or another, Cowslip, by Kirk Sigurdson, will affect you. You might feel unsettled, you might feel uplifted, you might become a vegetarian - all are possible responses to this powerful literary cocktail.

The setting is Portland, Oregon, where we peek behind the scenes of the music industry as Julia Fleischer makes a name for herself. She's hot, dynamic, and has a voice that starts a bidding war among record labels.

She also has only a few months to live.

Julia is a victim of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), a fatal brain disorder related to mad cow disease. It's a short stay on death row, and causes rapid, progressive dementia and neuromuscular disturbances.

In Julia's case, it causes terrifying hallucinations of demons and shadow people who observe her every move. We watch as her brain decays, as the hallucinations become more real. But are they really hallucinations? In Julia's reality, she is communicating with supernatural beings - demons and later, angels, from the great beyond.

What makes Julia's version of reality so compelling is the way the story is told. Almost the entire book takes the form of journal entries, so the reader gets the impression that Julia is speaking directly to them. It's conversational, natural, and highly personal.

Sigurdson has no problem writing in the voice of a 22-year-old female music star. She sounds exactly as she should, telling all the gritty details of wild LA parties, hard drugs, sex, whacked-out musicians, and a secret sexual longing for her best friend Ruth.

All the while, the CJD is perforating her brainmeats. But Julia is determined to live intensely and fully, despite her collapses and increasingly frequent encounters with the darkness and light beyond the grave.

Aside from the compelling format, plenty of clues point the reader towards believing Julia's version of reality. She records encounters with apparitions of people she knows, for example, then finds out that they have just died. More subtle clues are embedded in the shadow creatures' language. I did a quick Internet search for one of the words, and came up with one hit: Charms and conjurations of Hungarian Gypsy magic. The word meant "shadow." (If these were simply hallucinations, she would only hear words she understands, or nonsense.)

Sigurdson does an expert job of suspending our disbelief and seriously creeping us out. Ultimately, it's a love story, but with a backdrop of hard-driving, cranked-up-to-11 music; afloat in gin and champagne; tripping on smack; ... and always, always the shadow creatures just under the surface. ...

by Paige Terneur ... Read more

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University of California, San Francisco. Research on the protein-based infectious agents called prions, for investigators. 18 contributors, 16 U.S. ... Read more

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Can Cameron find what he’s looking for?

All 16-year-old Cameron wants is to get through high school—and life in general—with a minimum of effort. It’s not a lot to ask. But that’s before he’s given some bad news: he’s sick and he’s going to die. Which totally sucks. Hope arrives in the winged form of Dulcie, a loopy punk angel/possible hallucination with a bad sugar habit. She tells Cam there is a cure—if he’s willing to go in search of it. With the help of a death-obsessed, video-gaming dwarf and a yard gnome, Cam sets off on the mother of all road trips through a twisted America into the heart of what matters most.


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (61)

My SECOND favourite book EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Enough said.This book's summary does it no justice...from page one, I fell hook, line, and sinker for Libba's fabulous writing style.I promise, this book is made of 100% win!You will not be disappointed!!!!!!!

Going Bovine
From [...]

Title: Going Bovine
Author: Libba Bray
Grade: A+
Ideal Audience: Boys & Girls, 14+

Summary: Cameron is drowning in a wave of unpopularity, parental disappointment, and all around insignificance, but he's accepted his unimportant existence. However, when he's told that he has the human form of mad cow disease, which will lead to a slow death in which his brain disintegrates, he is transformed from school loser to town hero.

But after receiving this news, Cameron couldn't care less about popularity or anything of the sort. Instead, he reflects upon his approaching death as he lies in a hospital bed. After awhile, as his brain begins to stop functioning, Cameron starts receiving strange visions and dreams, all thanks to the disease.

Dulcie, a vision (or is she?) who claims to be an angel, informs Cameron that Dr. X may be able to fix his illness that was before pronounced to be incurable. Not sure if he is dreaming or not, Cameron wonders what he has to lose, and agrees to escape from the hospital and attempt to find Dr. X.

Bringing with him Gonzo, a cynical dwarf, Cameron sets off on his search. While taking some crazy, hilarious detours, the two learn truths about life and death that exist no matter what dimension we're living in.

My thoughts: First, let me say this: Going Bovine is completely wacked out. Libba Bray's brilliant inventions are extremely imaginative and creative, but readers: buckle up, because you're in for a wild ride.

That said, I absolutely loved Cameron's voice. Cameron's language is sarcastic, bitingly witty, and has a twisted humor that forces readers to laugh. And although the novel is long, every page is worth it.

Going Bovine is hilarious and thought-provoking. I would honestly recommend picking up a copy as soon as you can, as it was really an excellent read.

loved it.
I dont know what it was about this book that i liked so much. i think that it moved too fast and it confused me at the end but it was funny and showed a meaning to live life to its fullest. a great book.

Hope is the thing with feathers....
Sounds crazy, huh? But it's so not. Yes, there is a ton of stuff going on in this book but here's the beauty of it...it's not just filler, everything counts and everything has meaning. Lemme give you some info the summary doesn't. Mad cow disease is a death sentence. It starts eating away at your brain, literally leaving holes, causing your bodily functions to slip away one by one. Most of what goes on in this book happens after Cameron is diagnosed and admitted to the hospital and the "adventure" is what goes on in his mind as the disease progresses.
There are three quotes given before the story gets under way and each one holds profound meaning...
"Take my advice and live for a long long time because the maddest thing a man can do in this life is to let himself die." (Don Quixote.) Don Quixote is what Cameron was studying in school before his illness took over. And though his body kept him from living his life, his mind refused to give up and it took him on an incredible journey where he battled the "fire monsters" destroying his brain cells and where he lived as fully and as bravely as he could.
"Hope is the thing with feathers." (Emily Dickinson) Cameron's mother was an English teacher, so at some point he had heard this quote and feathers appear in his adventure, directing him where to go and symbolizing how he held onto hope and the desire to live.
"It's a small world after all." (Walt Disney) Cameron and his family had gone on a trip to Disneyworld when he was five and Disneyworld "the happiest place on earth" shows up in his adventure as well. And while all of these things can be taken literally because they were, literally, a part of Cameron's life experiences, they are symbolic as well.
All the things that have influenced Cameron in his 16 years show up in his adventure. His father is a physicist, so there is a chapter where Cam comes across scientists who are exploring other dimensions. His mother is a teacher and used to tell him bedtime stories of mythology, hence the Norse God yard gnome. Religion is there. Science is there. Consumerism, MTV pop culture, family, friendship...all are there. But ultimately it is the question of what it really means to live that is at the heart of this book. At the same time it is distinctly and personally Cameron's story, it is all our stories as well.
Read this book. It was, quite simply, brilliant.

Lots of Laughs
I really enjoyed this book. It was like going on the adventure of your teenage lifetime! There was lots of danger and mystery but also lots fun and a bunch of higinks! You cant help but start to love Cameron and Gonzo, even Balder! The book discusses parallel universes and whats funny is they had parallel names for things in this book. For instance instead of MTV it was YA! TV or rather than Coke or Pepsi it was Rad XL. It almost felt like maybe Camerons reality was a parallel universe from ours. Very cool.
My only complaint is that it doesnt get really juicy til the last few hundred pages. Up until then you kind feel like your Gonzo... like your being dragged around by a crazy friend that you dont have the heart to blow off. Not that it isnt interesting, though. Once you make it to that last few hundred pages though it really makes you think about what it means to really live and what it feels like to find your first true love. I shed a tear in a few spots, lol.
As a fan of the Gemma Doyle Series I was pleased with this book. Though I will say that while the GDS is definitely more female geared and boys most likely wouldn't enjoy it, young men will more than likely thoroughly enjoy Going Bovine.
... Read more

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This digital document is an article from History Behind the Headlines, Vols. 1-6, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 4489 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.Presents in-depth information on conflicts appearing in today's headlines. Users are provided with historical background and analysis to events to give a greater understanding of the politics, players, and layers of current affairs. ... Read more